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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


BV  3269  .S33  A3x  1876 
Scott,  Thomas  Jefferson, 

1835- 
Missionary  life  among  the 
^^'^f  V  i  1 1  age  s^inj  nd  i  a 


MISSIONARY  LIFE 


Among  the  Villages  in  India. 


'.  T.  J.  S( 


REV.  T.  J.  SCOTT,  D.  D., 

TWELVE  YEARS  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  IN  INDIA. 


CINCINNATI: 

HITCHCOCK   AND   WALDEN. 

NEW  YORK:  NELSON  &  PHILLIPS. 

1876. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by 

HITCHCOCK  &  WALDEN, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


Why  another  book  relating  to  mission  work  in 
India?  The  returned  missionary  finds  justification 
for  something  new,  in  the  surprising  ignorance  of  the 
friends  of  missions  in  regard  to  mission  work  and 
mission  fields.  Without  actual  experience  it  is 
difficult  to  get  a  just  conception  of  the  real  char- 
acter of  a  foreign  mission  field,  and  of  mission  work  as 
carried  on  in  it.  It  may  be  safely  assumed,  that,  as 
yet,  by  far  the  great  majority  of  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  the  foreign  Mission  work  have  but  very  imper- 
fect ideas  concerning  the  actual  nature  of  the  work. 
All  missionaries,  perhaps,  find  on  reaching  their  field 
that  very  many  of  their  preconceived  notions  are  in- 
correct. This  may  be  sufficient  apology  for  adding 
one  more  illustration  of  the  wise  man's  saying  ''of 
making  many  books  there  is  no  end." 

A  faithful  picture  of  missionary  life  in  India 
in  its  pleasures,  perplexities,  vexations,  trials,  and 
wants,  may  be  found  in  these  pages.  The  portrait- 
ure is  drawn  from  "real"  daily  life  and  familiar 
contact  with    the   people.      The   details  of  scenery, 


4  PREFACE. 

descriptions  of  native  character,  customs,  and  opin- 
ion will  help  the  reader  to  a  true  conception  of  the 
field  and  of  mission  work  in  India.  Here  and  there 
a  repetition,  or  rather  similarity,  of  incident  may  be 
found;  and  should  this  weary  the  reader,  it  will  then 
at  least  help  to  an  appreciation  of  what  becomes 
ofttimes  a  trial  in  the  life  of  the  missionary. 

Some  of  these  pages  have  already  appeared  in 
the  periodical  press.  If  they  conveyed  any  informa- 
tion or  possessed  any  interest  for  the  reader  then, 
their  appearance  in  a  new  dress  and  more  permanent 
form  may  not  render  them  the  less  acceptable  now. 
While  there  are  kingdoms  to  be  conquered  for  Jesus, 
these  things  must  be  kept  before  the  Church. 

T.  J.  SCOTT. 

Bareilly,  N.  W.  p.  India,  ] 
January,  1876.      j 


CONTENTS 


Camp  at  Dahemi. 

Work  proposed — Camp  Equipage — A  Converted  Jew — Late 
Dinner — A  Hindu  Convert — Reassured — Darkness  of  a  Heathen 
Mind — A  Village  Sermon — Monkeys — Chaupals — Virtue  of  Alms- 
giving—  Statistics  —  Winnowing  Grain  —  A  Sermon  —  A  Native 
Christian  Author  —  Evening  Scenery  —  The  Hindu  Convert 
pi-eaches — A  Row,  almost — British  Protection — An  Evening  Meet- 
ing— The  English  supposed  to  be  Idolaters  —  Almost '  Another 
Row — A  Family  baptized,  ......       Page     il 


II. 

A  Camping  Trip  to  Shajehanpore. 

Set  out  to  Shajehanpore — An  Inquirer — Lunch  by  the  Way — 
Pleasant  Scenery — Heathen  Avarice — Another  Inquirer — Fear  of 
the  Gods — An  Insulting  Audience  —  Half  Castes  —  Loaves  and 
Fishes — A  School  examined — Narain  Sing  again  —  Natives  as 
Smokers  —  After  the  Loaves  and  Fishes  again  —  Marching  —  A 
Conceited  Mohammedan  Lad — A  Pleasant  Camp — A  Fakeer — A 
Paralytic — Braving  Hell — Birds — The  Fakeer  again — Fast  in  the 
Mud  of  Sin — A  Delightful  Rest — Getting  Dinner  under  Embar- 
rassment— A  Night  Meeting  with  the  Mohammedans — Dogs,  and 
a  Bad  Night's  Rest — Examining  a  School — The  Leaven  of  Truth — 
Reach  Shajehanpore — Welcome,     ......       37 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

III. 

Camp  at  Lukempore. 

Camp  sent  forward — A  Jungle — Hygiene  and  the  Open  Air  in 
India — Delays — Native  Servants — A  Timid  Inquirer — Opposition 
from  Women — Illustrations — Fear  of  the  Gods — Fenceless  Fields — ■ 
Village  Tanks  or  Ponds  —  Children  —  Indifferent  Hearers — Sugar- 
making — Objections  to  the  Christian  Religion — An  Incident — ^The 
Shoemaker  Caste — What 's  being  a  Christian — Missionaries  should 
not  hunt — A  Good  Suggestion — Pilgrims  and  Sacred  Water — Visit 
to  the  Village  Women — An  Evening  at  Karauli — A  Singular  Cus- 
tom— Brahmins — Objections  to  the  Gospel — A  Study  for  Bayard 
Taylor — March  Winds — Sore  Eyes — A  Village  Bazaar — An  As- 
sault—  Hearing  under  Difficulty  —  An  Untidy  School  —  Narain 
Sing  and  a  Brahmin — Great  Barriers  to  the  Gospel — Faith — A 
Novel  Proposition  and  the  Counterfoil — A  Sabbath  Service — 
Native  Tunes — A  Bad  Zemindar  —  Worldly  Inquirers  —  Miscon- 
ceptions— A  Mohammedan  Inquirer — Hindu  met  Hindu — Matri- 
monial Perplexity — Rival  Temples — Physic  with  the  Gospel — A 
Doubting  Inquirer,  and  the  Remedy  for  his  Doubts — A  Moham- 
medan Quibbler — The  Inevitable  Convert — Hell  and  Transmigra- 
tion— Honest  Inquirers — Line  upon  Line — Idolatry  abandoned — 
Break  up  Camp — Work  on  the  Way  Home — A  Beautiful  Land- 
scape— Willing  Hearers  —  A  Religious  Hermit  —  Asceticism  in 
Every  Land, Page     58 

IV. 

Camp  at  Bangawan. 

An  Unpleasant  Drive  —  Trouble  —  Loaf-and-fish  Inquirers — 
Romanist  Missionaries — Chaupals  —  A  Disputer  —  Native  Wrang- 
lers— Lime-pits — Helpless  Gods — The  Map-drawer  again — Sunrise — 
Old  Paul — An  Insolent  Native — Fate  refuted — A  Blind  Hearer — 
Native  Women  and  Idolatry — A  Hot  Evening  at  Ojhanee — Signs 
of  Progress — A  Shower — A  Flooded  Camp — A  Retreat — Return 
to  Camp  alone — A  Hot  Breakfast — A  Fight  with  the  Wind — 
Inquirers — Harlotry — Hospitality — "Et  tu  quoque" — No  Time  to 
learn  Christianity — A  Site  for  a  Native  Parsonage — Wind  again— 
Ephraim  joined  to  his  Idols — Domestic  Difficulties  in  the  Way  of 
Christianity — Late  Hours  and  a  Morning  Nap — A  Lovely  Sabbath 


CONTENTS.  7 

Morning  and  the  Birds — Sunday  Worship  in  a  Village — Prepara- 
tion for  a  March — A  Plea  for  Tea — Native  Thriftlessness — Off 
for  the  New  Camp — A  Picturesque  Village  and  Preaching  by  the 
Way — Mishaps,       . Page  94 

V. 

Camp  at  Katinnah. 

A  Horrid  Dream — A  Magnificent  Sunrise — A  Happy  Fakeer — 
Docile  Hearers — Food  and  Physique — Physical  Effects  of  Caste — 
"One  possessed  of  a  Devil" — The  Gods  Irresponsible  for  Bad 
Conduct  —  The  "Holee" — Native  Dogs — Opium  Cultivation — A 
Polite  Zemindar — Eating  Animals  that  die  of  themselves,  and 
Feathered  Companions  to  the  Feast — Mohammedan  Bitterness  and 
Cunning — Home  to  <' Quarterly -meeting  " — To  Camp  again  — 
Parching  Grain — An  Idol — Strange  Women — Proposed  Reform — 
A  Dance — An  Evening  with  the  Mohammedans — A  Morning  with 
the  Hindus — Old  Girdari — Home  again,  .         .         .         .120 

VI.  ' 

Camp  Lost. 

Last  Tour  of  the  Season — Scenery — Vegetarianism  in  India — 
Camp  lost — Village  Hospitality — An  Evening  Congregation — A 
Night's  Rest  in  a  Strange  Place — An  Apathetic  Morning  Congre- 
gation—  The  Return  —  Refreshment,  and  a  Sermon  —  Punishing 
Evil-doers — Tardy  Hospitality — Flies — Impatient  Hearers — Crows — 
Home  again — The  Mystery  solved,  .....     136 

VII. 
On  the  Ganges. 

A  New  Campaign — Signs  of  Famine — A  Village  School — 
Colportage  Work  —  Wanton  Destruction  of  Tracts  —  A  Servant 
beaten — An  Early  March — Situation  of  Camp — Preaching  in  the 
Bazaar  of  the  Fair — Quarrels — Controversy — The  Power  of  Idol- 
atry—  The  English  supposed  to  be  Idolaters  —  A  Hot-headed 
Brahmin — The  Bazaar — Sand-storm — Mere  Belief  not  Reality — • 
The    Inpouring   Throng — The  Ganges  as  a  Savior — A  Wrangler — 


8  CONTENTS. 

High  Wind — ^The  Wrangler  again — An  Offending  Rajah — Inter- 
cessors—  Dancing  Girls — A  Noted  Fakeer  —  A  Morning  in  the 
Bazaar — The  Fakeer  again — How  shall  Man  be  saved? — Theft  in 
the  Night — "Vanity  Fair" — The  Bathers— An  Honest  Inquirer — 
Fire- works  —  Sabbath  Meeting  at  the  Tent  —  Final  Interview 
with  the  Fakeer — Close  of  the  Fair  —  A  Kind  Magistrate  — 
Home  again,         ........       Page  146 


VIII. 

To  "  Camp-Meeting." 

A  Camp  -  meeting  proposed  —  A  Visit  —  Alone  in  Camp  — 
Preaching  in  the  Fields — "Strange  Women" — Wolves — Tricks  of 
the  Brahmins — A  Fall — The  Age  of  Sin — Bad  Examples — Skir- 
mishes— A  Night  Meeting — An  Awful  Picture  of  Depravity — An 
Illustration  of  the  Same — Value  of  the  Bible — Village  Children — 
Superstitions — Fate  again — Inquisitiveness  of  Natives — Their  Lazi- 
ness—  A  Severe  Drought  —  Modes  of  Irrigation  —  Camp  upside 
down  —  Musings  —  Improved  Horses — A  Hindu  Temple  and 
Fakeers — A  Strange  Apology — Colportage  Work — Effects  of  Heavy 
Rains — Kanjers,  or  India  Gypsies — Preaching  by  the  Way — Hindu 
Mythology — Low  Caste  and  High  Caste — Great  Need  of  Simple, 
Popular  Preaching — A  Native  Christian  Family — Escape  of  Colonel 
Govvan  in  the  Mutiny  —  Examination  of  Schools  —  Government 
Education  in  India — Female  Education — Natives  learning  En- 
glish— Schools  in  Connection  with  Mission  Work — An  Inquirer — 
A  Bright  Morning — Off  for  Tilhar^— A  Stubborn  Horse — Old 
Familiar  Scenes — The  Camp-meeting  and  its  Results,      .         .     170 

IX. 

The  Return  Home. 

Off  to  Budaon  —  Tea  under  Difficulties  —  Native  Domestic 
Life — A  Second  Nabal  —  Unpleasant  Distinctions  —  A  Case  of 
Cholera  —  The  Poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them — The 
Doctrine  of  Fate  and  its  Effects  —  A  Governor's  Camp — A 
Zemindar  and  his  Guns — Tendency  in  the  Natives  to  imitate  the 
English  —  An  Impertinent  Hearer  —  Government  Dispensaries  — 
A    Mohammedan    Opponent  —  Audience    broken    up  —  A   Penitent 


CONTENTS.  9 

Sepoy  —  Shifting  Responsibility  —  Fever  —  Wrong  Views  of  Chris- 
tianity—  A  Lazy  Elephant  —  Elucidation  of  Scripture  in  India  — 
Dr.  Duff  on  the  Imprecative  Psalms  —  An  Avaricious  Inquirer  — 
An  Indian  Village  as  it  is — "Gali" — A  Challenge — Pantheism — 
A  "Burning-place" — Whipping  in  India — Discussion  as  a  Means 
of  spreading  the  Truth — Modern  Hindu  Deists  and  their  Creed — 
The  Discussion  a  Failure,  but  a  Victory  gained — Bad  Example  of 
Some  Englishmen  again  —  "Line  upon  Line"  —  A  Sunday  in 
Camp — A  Growler — Faith  in  the  Gods  shaken — A  Fragrant  Jungle 
and  Promising  Fields — Impressment  among  the  Natives — Native 
Feeling  on  British  Rule  in  India — Fleeing  from  Famine — Ideal- 
ism— Reflections — Home  again,  ....       Page     218 

X. 

Camp  at  Aligunge. 

A  New  Appointment  —  Aligunge  —  Bathers  —  Annoyance  — 
Novel  Quarters — Preaching  in  the  Bazaar — Tea  in  the  Open  Air — 
A  Novel  Sleeping -place  —  Sugar-making — The  Kabeer  Sect — A 
Polite  Opponent — The  Non- destruction  of  Animals  —  Vain  Fan- 
cies— A  Meeting  in  a  Carpenter's  Shop — The  Harvest  Great,  but 
the  Laborers  Few — Mohammedan  Visitors — Charms — A  Mark  of 
Friendship — A  Starving  Lad— Getting  Free  from  Sin — The  Teeth 
and  Eyes  of  the  Natives — A  Bad  Village — British  Law  in  India — 
Incidents — A  Native  Peddler — Conflict  with  a  Mohammedan — 
Storm  of  Dust  and  Rain — Gambling  in  India — Honesty  the  Best 
Policy— The  Cow  among  the  Hindus — Hindu  Incarnations — Ideal- 
ism and  Pantheism  again — Native  Theory  of  Clouds  and  Rain — 
Objections  to  becoming  a  Christian — Flesh -eating  religiously 
considered — Another  Conflict  with  a  Mohammedan — Reflections — 
Home  again,  .         .         . 268 

XL 

Afteji  Health  in  the  Himalayas. 

A  Party  formed — A  Swim — Ranee  Khet — Almost  drowned — 
Tea -planting  —  The  Capture  of  Almorah — A  Leper  Asylum  — 
Charming  Scenery  —  A  Woman  shot  —  A  Thief — Enchanting 
Scenery — Mountain    Ponies — Attacked    by    Leeches — Natives    and 


10  CONTENTS. 

Native  Hunters  in  the  Mountains — Fight  with  a  Bear — Sublime 
Scenery  —  Distant  Peeps  of  the  Glaciers  —  Native  Flour -mills — 
Limits  of  Habitation  —  Bears  again  —  A  Dangerous  Bridge  —  A 
Grand  Camping-place — Sublime  Scenery — The  Glacier — Up  in  the 
Clouds — The  Return — Renewed  Strength,  .         .       Page     303 


Missionary  Life 

AMONG  THE  VILLAGES  IN  INDIA. 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI. 


IF  the  reader  does  not  care  to  follow  us  among  the 
villages  where  vagrant  dogs  bark,  and  the  lazy- 
Hindu  and  bigoted  Mohammedan  lounge  and  smoke 
and  talk,  and  into  the  groves  where  parrots  and  pea- 
cocks scream,  and  the  melody  of  more  favored  song- 
sters is  warbled  forth,  and  across  the  fields  and 
plains  glaring  and  heated  by  a  fiery  Indian  sun,  and 
listen  betimes  to  our  talks  in  the  quiet  village  group 
or  crowded,  noizy  bazaar,  then  these  notes  of  camp- 
life  may  be  passed  by.  \t  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  some  readers  to  run  over  these  notes.  We  can 
not  promise  that  they  will  be  very  entertaining,  yet 
may  assure  the  reader  that  if  any  desire  or  curiosity 
is  felt  to  look  into  the  daily  life  of  a  missionary  in 
India,  and  see  something  of  the  *'ups  and  downs," 
the  encouragements  and  discouragements  encoun- 
tered in  attempting  to  propagate  the  Gospel  of  sal- 
vation among  the  villages  of  Hindustan,  a  somewhat 


12  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

faithful  portraiture  may  be  found  in  these  notes. 
Something-  may  be  gathered  from  them  of  the 
**  manner  of  hfe "  of  a  missionary  at  his  work — 
something  of  the  reception  met  with  from  Hindu 
and  Mohammedan — in  a  word,  these  notes  ' '  sketched 
on  the  field"  may  serve  to  give  those  who  have  the 
patience  to  read  them  a  more  lively  impression  of 
mission  work  in  this  country  in  the  daily  minuatiae 
of  real,  active  life.  Finally,  these  notes  may  awaken 
emotions  of  sympathy  for,  and  interest  in,  a  work  to 
us  above  our  chief  joy,  and  call  forth  sincere  prayer 
for  that  work. 

Decembej'  g,  1867. — Went  into  camp  at  Dahemi, 
five  miles  distant  from  Budaon  (our  home).  Camp 
had  been  sent  on  two  days  before  with  two  native 
helpers  and  their  wives.  Camp  in  these  itinerations 
means  two  or  three  tents,  with  such  bedding  and 
furniture  as  are  needed  in  this  out-door  way  of  liv- 
ing, A  few  goats  are  kept  along  to  supply  milk, 
while  a  coop  of  fowls  and  a  few  sheep  supply  meat. 
One  of  the  helpers  is  Abraham,  a  converted  Jew 
from  Jerusalem  itself  He  was  baptized  in  our  mis- 
sion and  has  quite  a  history.  He  came  to  India  as 
a  trader  with  a  capital  of  about  ;^40,ooo.  He  had 
previously  traded  in  Persia,  Russia,  Australia,  and 
China,  and  coming  to  India  lost  all.  With  Quaker 
patience  his  uncle  started  him  again  in  business,  and 
he  set  out  for  the  importation  of  some  cloth  and 
silks  from  Russia  by  way  of  Persia.  In  passing  Af- 
ghanistan his  caravan  was  plundered,  and  he  was 
again  reduced  to  poverty.  He  had  met  at  Peshawar 
on  the  Indian   frontier,  Lowenthal,  a  converted  Jew 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  1 3 

from  Poland,  but  latterly  from  the  United  States  as 
a  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board.  Lowenthal 
had  pointed  him  to  Christ  as  the  true  Messiah.  This 
''wandering  Jew"  now  began  in  his  accumulated 
losses  and  misfortunes  to  think  more  of  the  world 
to  come  ''where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor 
steal."  The  long  despised  Jesus  of  Nazareth  rose 
up  before  him  as  the  Savior  of  the  world  in  whom 
he  could  trust.  He  began  to  look  out  a  place  in 
which .  he  could  attach  himself  to  some  mission. 
After  a  time  he  found  his  way  into  our  field,  not  the 
Shylock  that  he  was  in  former  days  as  a  merchant 
here — but  a  returned  wanderer  of  "the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel."  He  was  baptized  in  Mo- 
radabad,  and  after  a  time  became  an  exhorter.  His 
pronunciation  and  idiom  in  Hindustani  are  very  bad. 
His  Israelitish  tongue  somehow  does  not  frame  to  pro- 
nounce it  aright,  although  he  has  been  here  in  India 
for  several  years  now.  With  many  pleasant  traits  he 
still  shows  something  of  the  cunning  and  secretive- 
ness  of  his  people  every-where.  He  has  considera- 
ble zeal  in  preaching  the  long  neglected  Jesus  to  this 
people. 

In  the  evening  we  reached  camp,  and  found  (as 
usual)  tents  and  camp  equipage  in  considerable  con- 
fusion. But  we  learn  after  a  time  to  put  up  with 
this  and  "rough  it"  a  little.  The  delightful  mango 
grove,  with  its  carpet  of  brown  and  russet  fallen 
leaves,  was  a  redeeming  feature  of  affairs;  and  a  late 
dinner  served  in  the  open  air — while  the  setting  sun 
sent  mellow  pencils  streaming  through  the  gently 
rustling   foliage — was   relished   after   a  jolting   drive 


14  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

across  the  country  At  night  we  went  into  the  vil- 
lage, near  which  the  camp  is  located,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  getting  many  hearers.  Two  or  three  list- 
ened restlessly  for  a  time,  and  then  went  off  to  at- 
tend to  their  cattle — as  they  said — for  the  night. 
At  times  it  seems  hard,  very,  to  get  the  attention  of 
the  villagers. 

December  lO. — In  the  morning,  early,  sent  James 
(a  native  helper)  to  take  in  his  round  two  villages, 
while  Abraham  and  myself  started  on  foot  across  the 
fields  for  Goorpooree,  a  village  two  miles  from  camp. 
When  we  reached  the  village,  a  rough-looking 
friendly  zemindar  (farmer)  met  us  near  his  sugar- 
cane press,  and  invited  us  into  the  village.  A  few 
low  cots — the  usual  seats  of  the  villagers  when  they 
sit  on  any  thing — were  brought  out,  and  we  were 
"helped  to  a  seat."  My  only  objection  to  these 
cots  is,  that  you  seldom  find  them  uninhabited,  and 
hardly  escape  an  assault  if  you  sit  down  on  them. 
But  it  does  not  do  to  be  squeamish  or  cowardly,  so 
we  took  our  seats  and  were  surrounded  by  a  half 
hundred  natives,  now  our  auditors,  now  our  cate- 
chisers  for  the  hour.  We  opened  our  message  by 
telling  them  what  we  had  come  to  their  village  for, 
and  by  trying  to  impress  them  with  the  destitution 
of  their  souls  and  their  need  of  purity  and  salvation. 
From  the  outer  edge  of  the  crowd  a  voice  put  in — 
"Our  objection  to  becoming  Christians  is,  that 
your  Christians  are  turned  out  to  starve  or  beg,  when 
you  baptize  them." 

"Where  did  you  learn  this  of  our  Christians?'* 
"There  's  Narain  Sing,  of  Khunak  (a  village  near 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  1 5 

by),  who  was  a  prosperous  zemindar,  but  since  you 
baptized  him  he  has  been  wandering  about  begging." 

*'Why,  no,  my  man;  he  is  in  his  village  looking 
after  his  fields,  and  a  happier  man  you  never  saw — 
some  one  has  been  lying  to  you." 

*'But  they  say  his  family  have  turned  him  out, 
and  that  he  is  now  in  a  starving  condition." 

''Turned  him  out!  No,  he  is  living  just  where 
he  was,  eats  the  same  food,  wears  the  same  clothing, 
carries  on  his  farming  just  as  he  did,  looks  just  as  he 
did;  but  his  heart  is  not  the  same.  He  now  has  a  Chris- 
tian heart — a  good  heart,  and  is  going  to  heaven." 

''But  how  about  Ratan  Sing?"  put  in  some  one. 
*  'We  have  heard  that  since  he  became  a  Christian,  his 
father  and  mother  have  kicked  him  out,  and  now  he 
is  houseless  and  homeless." 

*  *  Not  at  all ;  his  father  and  mother  love  him 
just  as  before.  When  he  goes  home,  they  are  very 
glad  to  see  him,  and  feed  him  with  the  best  they 
have.  They  will  not  eat  with  him,  because  they  are 
not  Christians  and  can  not  break  caste ;  but  they 
still  love  their  boy,  and  are  not  going  to  kick  him 
out  yet." 

I  then  told  them  my  surprise  at  their  believing 
all  kinds  of  foolish  stories,  and  allowing  themselves 
to  be  so  deluded.  It  is  astonishing  how  readily  these 
credulous  villagers  believe  any  silly  story  that  is  put 
into  circulation  about  us  and  our  work,  and  there 
never  are  Avanting  evil-disposed  persons  who  invent  all 
kinds  of  stories  to  frighten  them. 

Narain  Sing  (Lion  of  God)  is  a  wxll-to-do  farmer, 
of  high  caste,  baptized  nearly  six  jnonths  ago,  and 


1 6  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

he  has  been  the  subject  of  not  a  few  of  these  silly- 
reports.  For  instance,  the  day  he  was  baptized, 
the  natives  had  it  in  every  direction  that  the  final 
act  in  the  process  of  Christianizing  him  was  to  make 
him  drink  a  quantity  of  warm  cow's  blood — a  most 
shocking  thing  to  a  Hindu's  mind.  The  result  was, 
as  they  had  it,  that  his  stomach  terribly  resented  the 
outrage,  and  most  violently  conformed  to  the  laws 
of  an  emetic  all  over  my  premises.  That  story  cor- 
rected itself,  but  now  I  find  it  going  the  rounds  that 
he  is  starving  to  death.  I  promised  to  show  them 
the  man  in  all  his  starving  condition,  as  he  does  not 
live  far  away.  The  fact  that  he  does  live  within  four 
miles  of  these  villages  makes  it  seem  very  strange 
that  this  stupid  falsehood  prevails.  Ratan  Sing 
(Pearl  Lion)  is  a  young  man,  a  relative  of  Narain 
Sing,  who  was  baptized  a  short  time  after  him.  Both 
are  now  the  subjects  of  much  talk. 

As  we  left  the  village,  I  was  somewhat  amused 
at  the  way  a  palanquin  cooly  followed  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  patronizingly  suggested  that  little  by  little 
they  would  all  become  Christians.  Evidently  some- 
thing had  impressed  him  in  the  conversation  which 
yet  he  seemed  to  think  had  not  been  altogether  sat- 
isfactory to  us,  and  in  a  kind  of  reassuring  way,  he 
attempted  a  word  of  encouragment.  Doubtless  the 
day  will  come  when  the  vague  impression  of  these 
Hindus  will  be  realized;  but  alas  for  the  Christless, 
wretched,  polluted  thousands  that  will  have  passed 
down  to  death. 

December  lo. — In  the  afternoon  one  of  the  head 
cultivators  of  the  village  at  which  we  are  encamped 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  1 7 

visited  me  at  the  tent.  He  was  a  yielding,  good 
natured  fellow,  readily  consenting  to  almost  every 
thing  said.  It  was  his  first  visit  to  a  missionary, 
and,  O,  how  dark  his  mind  seemed.  To  any  one 
not  acquainted  with  the  darkness  of  an  idolatrous 
heathen  mind  it  is  difficult  to  convey  an  impression 
of  how  dark  it  appears  on  looking  into  that  mind. 
It  is  when  the  native's  language  is  so  well  mastered 
as  to  become  a  complete  avenue  to  his  thoughts 
and  feelings  that  one  feels  * '  how  great  is  that 
darkness." 

Every  question  asked  and  every  reply  made  re- 
veals more  clearly  the  darkened  depths  of  that  sun- 
less soul.  In  attempting  a  little  instruction  so  many 
things  seem  to  need  saying,  so  many  avenues  of  the 
mind  seem  closed  and  need  opening  and  illuminating, 
so  rriany  truths  need  explaining  and  illustrating,  that 
one,  in  view  of  the  probabilities  of  success  in  the 
time  available,  almost  shrinks  as  from  a  hopeless  task. 
It  is  the  constant  repetition  of  this  that  forms  one 
of  the  missionary's  greatest  trials,  especially  when 
his  work  may  go  on  for  months  and  years  without 
any  visible  results.  The  importance  of  disseminating 
the  Scriptures  and  religious  books  and  tracts  is  very 
great,  as  an  aid  in  dispelling  the  darkness  of  the  peo- 
ple and  preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord. 

In  the  evening,  took  James  and  Abraham,  and 
went  to  Bhurkooeean,  a  village  on  the  other  side  of 
a  river  that  flows  near  camp.  The  village  is  a  large 
one,  containing  a  government  school.  We  took  seats, 
and  soon  our  congregation  was  present,  and  I  at- 
tempted to  talk.     A  village    sermon  is    not   apt  to 


1 8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

be  a  very  regular  or  well  connected  performance. 
While  one  is  talking  all  kinds  of  interruptions,  from 
questions  and  objections,  are  often  encountered.  Im- 
pertinent questions,  impudent  suggestions,  and  at- 
tempted sallies  of  wit  often  come  up;  and  grace  and 
wisdom  are  required  to  carry  a  point  through  and 
impress  it  on  the  minds  of  the  restless  hearers.  At 
other  times  and  in  other  places  all  hear  admirably. 
We  met  a  good  natured  Pundit  (Hindu  religious 
teacher)  here,  who  constantly  broke  in  on  the  talk 
with  some  question  or  remark.  Meanwhile  a  troop 
of  monkeys  came  clambering  over  the  houses,  and 
leaped  into  a  tree  near  where  we  were  sitting. 
Flocks  of  monkeys  live  here  and  there  over  the 
country,  but  usually  in  groves.  Here  they  have 
taken  up  their  abode,  as  the  villagers  say,  for  thirty- 
six  years  among  the  houses,  and  prove  most  annoy- 
ing neighbors.  They  often  enter  the  houses  and 
carry  off  any  food  they  may  find.  No  one  ever 
strikes  or  beats  them,  and  in  consequence  they  get 
very  bold  and  troublesome.  There  was  but  little 
satisfaction  in  our  visit  to  this  village,  and  we  re- 
turned to  camp  ''by  the  soft  light  of  the  moon." 
At  night  we  called  the  villagers  together  in  the 
chaupal  of  the  village  near  which  we  were  en- 
camped. Our  mode  of  work  morning  and  evening 
is  to  visit  the  villages  one,  two,  and  three  miles  dis- 
tant from  camp,  and  at  night  arrange  some  rude 
lights,  and  hold  a  meeting  in  the  chaupal. 

The  reader  must  not  fancy  to  himself  a  neat  little 
chapel,  with  regular  singing,  prayer,  and  formal  ser- 
mons before  a  devout,  orderly  congregation.    Nothing 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI. 


19 


of  the  kind.  The  chaupal  may  be  called  the  head- 
quarters of  the  village,  and  is  nothing  more  than  a 
rude  little  mud  house,  usually  thatched,  and  com- 
monly built  on  an  elevation  of  earth  a  few  feet  above 
the  common  level.  In  this  any  traveler  may  stop, 
and  it  is  often  a  lounging  place  for  the  villagers,  and  is 
the  point  where  they  assemble  when  have  any  thing 
over  which  they  wish  to  talk.  In  the  chaupal  are 
often  found  a  few  rude  cots,  sometimes  a  plow  or 
two,  and  often  the  carts  of  the  zemindar.  Not  un- 
usually a  native  drum  or  two  are  suspended  from 
the  wall.  There  may  be  several  chaupals  in  a  vil- 
lage. The  chaupal  then  is  our  chapel.  In  holding 
a  meeting  we  go  to  the  chaupal,  catching  up  any 
villager  we  may  meet  on  the  way,  and  if  we  can  see 
him,  send  the  village  watchman  to  tell  the  people 
that  ''service  is  about  to  commence."  The  reader 
may  be  well  assured  that  they  are  not  very  much 
encumbered  with  "ritualism." 

We  take  a  seat,  Avhile  the  villagers  who  may  be 
disposed  to  ''hear  what  this  babbler  has  to  say," 
having  tied  up  their  cattle  and  goats,  drop  in  irregu- 
larly, until  quite  a  crowd  has  assembled.  Meanwhile 
the  meeting  has  commenced,  it  may  be  by  asking 
some  questions  about  the  crops  and  prospects,  etc., 
until  the  congregation  is  collected.  The  conversa- 
tion may  pass  by  an  easy  transition  from  material 
to  spiritual  things — from  things  temporal  to  things 
eternal.  The  meeting  may  consist  of  nothing  more 
than  a  free  conversation,  in  which  the  villagers  ask 
questions  and  raise  objections  without  fear.  All 
usually  sit  on  the  floor  or  on  cots,  and  if  they  seem 


20  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

orderly  and  well-disposed  to  listen,  a  hymn  may  be 
sung,  Scripture  read  and  prayer  offered  some  time  be- 
fore the  meeting  breaks  up.  I  often  sing  verses  from 
different  hymns  set  to  native  airs,  which  please  the 
people  very  much,  and  intersperse  the  singing  with 
remarks  explanatory  of  the  meaning  of  the  hymn. 
The  point  is  to  manage  the  meeting  in  such  a  way  as 
to  keep  the  attention  of  the  crowd,  and  impress  the 
Gospel  message  in  the  best  manner  possible.  The 
villagers  often  listen  with  great  interest;  but  at  other 
times  wrangle  and  even  make  an  uproar.  Our  congre- 
gation listened  very  well  to-night.  One  man  was  dis- 
posed to  object  to  the  method  of  salvation  proposed 
in  the  Gospel.  He  claimed  that  all  could  be  accom- 
plished by  alms-giving — alms-giving  would  purify  the 
soul  and  purchase  heaven. 

**But,"  I  asked,  ''do  you  think  alms-giving  will 
cure  a  lying  tongue?" 

*'No,"  after  a  little  reflection. 

"Will  alms-giving  take  away  a  disposition  to 
steal?" 

*'No,"  doggedly. 

**If  I  kill  your  child,  and  give  thousands  of  ru- 
pees in  alms,  will  my  sin  thereby  be  wiped  out?" 

''No,"  promptly,  "alms-giving  does  not  wipe  out 
such  sins." 

"But  such  are  all  real  sins.  Sin  is  not  in  eating 
and  drinking  food  not  ceremonially  clean,  nor  in 
breaking  caste." 

Here  I  took  up  the  question  of  what  real  sin  is, 
and  tried  to  make  the  man  feel  what  actual  sin,  pu- 
rity, and  guilt  before  God  are.     He  then  attempted 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  21 

to  disparage  the  Christian  religion  by  saying  that 
there  are  only  two  religions  in  the  world — namely, 
the  Hindu  and  the  Mohammedan. 

*'I  know  of  no  other,"  said  he.  **The  Chris- 
tian religion  is  nothing.  What  is  it,  and  where  are 
Christians?" 

''But,  my  friend,  you  have  not  been  learning. 
The  Christian  religion  is  the  most  widely  spread  and 
most  powerful  religion  in  the  world." 

**What  is  it,  and  where  is  it  spread?"  with 
contemptuous  surprise. 

''There  are  now  thirty-three  principal  govern- 
ments in  the  world.  Of  these,  twenty-six  are  Chris- 
tian, while  there  is  no  part  of  the  world  into  which 
this  religion  has  not  spread  or  is  not  now  spreading. 
There  are  not  less  than  seven  hundred  thousand  peo- 
ple of  your  country  who  now  profess  the  Christian 
religion." 

All  this  was  rather  surprising  information  to  the 
man,  who  yet  received  it  in  a  very  sullen  mood. 
He  had  set  himself  on  opposing  our  message,  as- 
suming the  character  of  a  champion  before  his 
fellow-villagers,  who,  however,  did  not  at  all  seem 
to  appreciate  his  services.  The  poor  fellow  was  sul- 
lenly indignant  at  their  indifference. 

December  ii. — A  little  after  sunrise  started  across 
the  fields,  in  company  with  Abraham,  to  a  village 
two  miles  distant.  At  this  season  of  the  year  a  little 
frost  falls,  and  here  and  there  the  ground  and  grass 
were  slightly  white.  This  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  snow  we  ever  have  on  the  plains.  The  air  was 
bracing,  and  I  led  Abraham  in  a  sharp  walk  across 


22  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  broken  fields  and  over  the  deep  channels  washed 
out  by  the  heavy  rains  of  the  wet  season.  Now  a 
leap  placed  us  down  in  some  deep,  dry  water-course; 
now  we  disappeared  in  the  tall  grass  hedges  that 
separate  the  cultivated  fields.  As  we  neared  the  vil- 
lage, we  passed  a  small  group  of  men  sitting  over  a 
little  fire  in  a  threshing-floor. 

''What  are  you  doing  there?"  was  the  morning 
salutation. 

''We  are  dying  with  cold." 

"No,  you  are  dying  with  sin,"  was  the  blunt  re- 
joinder, upon  which  followed  a  word  on  the  nature, 
universality,  and  fatality  of  sin,  and  an  invitation  to 
come  to  a  meeting  just  then  in  the  chaupal. 

A  threshing-floor  in  this  country  is  a  primitive 
affair  altogether,  and  illustrates  impressively  some 
passages  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  It  is 
located  somewhere  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village  or 
in  the  fields,  and  consists  simply  of  a  hard  bit  of 
ground,  where  grain  of  all  kinds  is  collected  from 
the  fields,  and  threshed  by  being  beaten  out  with 
heavy  sticks  or  trodden  out  by  cattle.  Here  it  is 
winnowed  by  being  thrown  up  in  the  wind,  or  more 
commonly  by  being  slowly  emptied  to  the  wind  from 
a  basket  lifted  up  at  arm's  length.  The  chaff  is  sep- 
arated and  carried  apart,  and  a  few  times  repeating 
the  process  makes  the  grain  quite  clean.  Sometimes 
in  calm  weather  a  sheet  is  swung  by  the  hands  so  as 
to  fan  the  chaff  away  as  it  is  shaken  down  from  the 
basket.  Here  in  the  threshing-floor  some  of  the  cul- 
tivators eat  and  sleep  among  the  stacks  and  piles  of 
grain  until  the  harvest  is  threshed  and  taken  away. 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  23 

We  left  the  little  group  of  men  to  shiver  over 
their  fire  of  chaff  and  discuss  that  pithy  sermon  on 
sin  or  follow  us  to  the  chaupal,  at  pleasure.  As  we 
entered  the  village,  a  man,  in  a  tone  of  surprise,  ac- 
costed me  with, 

"Where  is  your  sazvariV  (conveyances  or  means 
of  riding.) 

'"Here,"  pointing  to  my  feet. 

*'But  have  you  no  horse,  no  carriage?" 

*'What  better  horse  or  carriage  than  these?" 

''But  it  is  not  the  custom  for  Sahibs  and  big 
people  to  walk." 

This  is  the  native  idea.  Men  of  a  little  property 
never  think  of  walking  any  distance.  A  pony,  horse, 
or  native  carriage  of  some  kind  is  always  called  into 
requisition  in  going  even  an  inconsiderable  distance. 
It  is  thought  degrading  and  mean  to  walk. 

We  hunted  up  the  chaupal,  our  preaching-place, 
and  a  crowd  began  to  collect.  Our  introduction  this 
time  was  to  ask  the  natives  to  show  us  some  club 
exercises,  suggested  by  the  sight  of  two  huge  clubs 
leaning  against  a  tree  where  we  sat  down.  These 
clubs  were  about  three  and  a  half  feet  long,  gradu- 
ally swelling  from  a  stout  handle  to  six  or  eight 
inches  in  diameter  at  the  other  end.  The  club  exer- 
cise is  to  swing  these  about  the  head  by  sundry 
expert  flourishes.  The  exercises  over,  the  villagers 
were  in  a  cheerful,  friendly  mood  for  graver  things, 
and  the  Gospel  message  was  opened  for  the  first  time 
in  this  village.  They  were  urged  to  think  of  the 
sinfulness  of  man's  heart  and  the  pressing  need  of 
salvation;    they  were  told   of  God's   incarnation  and 


24  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

dwelling  among  men  to  open  up  a  channel  of  sal- 
vation for  man;  they  were  urged  to  think  of  this 
salvation  and  seek  an  interest  in  it.  All  this  was 
done  with  numerous  interruptions  from  questions 
and  objections,  frivolous  and  semi-serious.  I  felt 
really  sad  at  the  complacent  blindness  and  hardness 
of  these  poor,  polluted  souls,  as  one  villager,  seated 
in  the  crowd,  remarked,  with  a  sarcastic  smile,  to 
another  passing  by,  ''Come  and  hear  of  salvation." 
His  general  brutal  look  and  sensual  face  pointed  him 
out  as  one  of  the  most  needy;  and  yet,  after  all  that 
kind  talk  and  presentation  of  the  precious  Savior 
and  his  great  salvation,  he,  the  most  needy  of  the 
needy,  could  treat  it  with  a  diabolical  sneer.  He 
was  exhorted  not  to  trifle  with  things  that  belong  to 
his  eternal  peace.  He  left  the  little  assembly  of  vil- 
lagers, saying,  *  *  Give  me  a  village,  and  I  will  become 
a  Christian."  It  was  not  an  encouraging  talk,  and 
we,  too,  withdrew. 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  village,  a  grim  Mussul- 
man of  colossal  proportions,  with  a  blue  beard,  met 
us,  having  put  on  his  best  coat  for  the  occasion ;  but 
he  had  not  deigned  to  come  to  the  meeting  in  the 
chaupal.  He  asked  if  I  were  the  missionary,  and 
said  that  he  was  farmer  of  half  the  village.  Already 
wearied  with  a  long  talk,  we  soon  passed  on. 

It  is  a  common  custom  for  the  natives  to  dye 
their  beards,  and  often  hair  too.  A  kind  of  tawny 
red,  produced  by  the  juice  of  a  shrub,  is  the  color 
chiefly  fancied ;  but  occasional  genuine  *' blue-beards" 
are  met.  Natives  become  gray  early,  and  the  dye- 
ing is  done  to  hide  the  approaches  of  age  in  most 


CAMP  AT  DAHEML 


25 


instances,  I  find.  Alien  to  the  hopes  and  blessed 
influences  of  the  Gospel  and  Christianity,  they  seem 
to  disrelish  any  reminder  of  death's  approach.  They 
also  try  to  hide  any  appearance  of  age,  that  they 
may  seem  the  more  fit  for  some  kind  of  employment. 
To-day,  Narain  Sing,  the  new  convert,  came  from 
his  village  to  our  camp.  I  had  previously  arranged 
with  him  to  look  over  the  manuscript  of  a  little  book 
that  he  wishes  to  have  published.  The  book  gives 
an  account  of  his  awakening  and  long  search  after 
the  true  way  of  salvation,  until  he  rested  his  faith  in 
Christ  and  found  peace.  It  also  contains  a  brief  ex- 
posure of  the  false  pretensions  of  Hinduism  and 
Mohammedanism.  Having  reviewed  the  manuscript 
with  him,  I  will  forward  it  to-  our  publishing  com- 
mittee for  approval,  after  which  it  may  be  published. 
While  we  were  at  work  looking  over  the  book,  a 
number  of  the  villagers  came  up  to  see  Narain  Sing, 
out  of  mere  curiosity  to  note  what  effect  becoming 
a  Christian  had  made  on  his  manner  and  general 
appearance,  and  to  find  out,  no  doubt,  what  truth 
there  is  in  the  stories  of  his  starving  condition. 
Their  looks  of  surprise  were  manifest  as  they  saw  in 
him  the  same  Narain  Sing  in  dress  and  speech  as 
before.  Among  the  visitors  was  the  surly  fellow 
who  attempted  to  oppose  this  new  way  last  night  in 
the  chaupal  of  our  camp  village.  He  had  but  little 
to  say,  but  Is  manifestly  any  thing  but  a  well-wisher 
of  our  work.  The  others  seemed  much  pleased  with 
the  interview  with  their  converted  neighbor,  and 
talked  pleasantly  for  some  time,  asking  many  ques- 
tions and  receiving  satisfactory  answers. 


26  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

We  arranged  that  Narain  Sing  come  again  to- 
morrow and  visit  with  me  two  or  three  villages,  that 
the  people  may  see  that  becoming  a  Christian  is  not 
becoming  a  starving  beggar.      He  returned  home. 

In  the  evening,  sent  Abraham  to  a  village  in  one 
direction,  and  took  James  to  cross  the  fields  in  an- 
other direction.  The  sun  was  well  down  the  sky; 
the  air  was  calm  and  deliciously  mellow.  The  land- 
scape was  charming  as  we  crossed  the  fields,  green 
with  the  fi-eshly  springing  wheat-stalks,  through 
which  the  Sote,  a  small,  clear  stream,  flowed  at  our 
feet,  and  with  many  a  meandering  turn  led  away  off 
to  the  left,  flashing  here  and  there  from  its  gently 
flowing  waters  the  slanting  rays  of  the  sinking  sun. 
The  level  fields  came  up,  without  any  margin  of  sand 
or  waste  ground,  quite  to  the  stream,  and  the  bright 
green  wheat  grew  to  the  very  water's  edge.  There 
is  nothing  very  inspiriting  about  this  kind  of  scenery, 
which  is  very  common  in  the  plains  of  India.  It  is, 
however,  calm  and  pleasant  to  the  eye,  and  very 
suggestive  of  quiet,  pastoral,  or  agricultural  life. 

The  village  (Burkuia)  to  which  we  were  going  lay 
just  across  the  little  serpentine  river  mentioned,  and, 
to  our  surprise  and  disappointment,  we  found  no 
bridge.  We  had  been  told  at  the  village  further 
down  the  river  that  this  village  has  a  bridge.  An 
ox-cart  coming  up  opportunely,  we  climbed  on  it 
and  reached  the  other  side. 

On  entering  the  village,  we  met  an  old  man, 
shaking  in  every  limb,  and  just  ready  to  totter  into 
the  grave,  and,  fastening  on  him  as  a  nucleus  for  a 
congregation,   sat   down   for  a  word   of  exhortation. 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  2^ 

He  was  reminded  that  for  him  the  future  world  is 
at  hand.  He  was  urged  to  think  about  a  prepara- 
tion to  meet  God,  and  was  told  that  the  preparation 
needed  is  a  pure  heart.  Meanwhile,  a  number  of 
villagers  had  collected.  While  urging  on  these  the 
importance  of  Christianity,  some  one  demanded  how 
they  could  leave  their  work  to  look  after  our  relig- 
ion; they  had  enough  to  do  to  look  after  their  own 
business.  We  patiently  suggested  that  their  most 
important  business  might  be  in  looking  into  the 
claims  of  Christianity,  and  that  this  is  the  point  we 
wish  them  to  consider.  An  impudent  fellow  put  in 
that  if  they  followed  our  religion  they  would  be  cer- 
tain of  hell. 

This  village  is  situated  on  an  elevated  bluff,  and 
the  green  wheat-fields,  stretching  away  below  us, 
with  their  groves  and  winding  river,  in  the  calm, 
delightful  evening,  formed  a  most  charming  scene. 
I  thought  of  the  couplet  by  Heber, 

"Though  every  prospect  pleases, 
And  only  man  is  vile." 

We  seemed  not  to  have  the  slightest  access  to 
the  hearts  of  our  hearers,  and  their  vileness  was  even 
more  manifest  when  they  utterly  refused  to  assist  us 
with  a  pony  over  the  river.  This  was  outrageously 
uncivil  on  their  part  to  us  as  strangers.  Almost  any 
other  white  man  in  the  country  than  a  missionary 
would  have  taught  them  good  manners  and  civility 
with  a  heavy  boot  or  cane ;  but  our  weapons  are  not 
carnal,  and  when  we  can  not  persuade  men,  we  must 
shift   for   ourselves.     On   this   occasion,    a   fortunate 


28  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

cart  came  along  to  pass  over  the  ford.  Without 
much  ceremony,  I  hopped  on,  and  motioned  to  the 
native  brother  to  follow,  which  he  did.  In  turn,  this 
was  not  a'very  civil  or  courteous  act  on  our  part  in 
the  eyes  of  the  natives,  for  there  was  a  woman  sit- 
ting on  the  cart;  but  necessity  knows  no  law,  and 
the  case  was  urgent.  When  we  had  carried  our 
point,  the  cartman  took  it  all  good-humoredly.  We 
reached  camp  after  dark,  but  proceeded  at  once  to 
the  chaupal  for  a  night  meeting,  which  passed  off 
very  quietly  with  talking  and  singing. 

December  12. — Narain  Sing  came  early  in  the 
morning,  according  to  arrangement,  to  visit  a  village 
with  me.  The  sun  was  just  pouring  his  floods  of 
cheery  light  over  field  and  grove.  The  air  was  deli- 
clously  cool  and  bracing  to  me,  but  seemed  a  Win- 
ter to  the  village  farmer,  who  had  just  arrived,  with 
his  jaws  and  ears  tied  up  in  defense  against  the  cold. 
These  snowless,  iceless  Winters  seem  nevertheless  to 
pinch  the  natives  very  much.  They  feel  the  heat 
much  less  and  the  cold  proportionally  more  than  we 
do.  We  started  across  the  fields,  over  which  a  most 
delightful  morning  breeze  was  playing.  A  slight 
tinge  of  frost  lay  on  the  grass  and  bright  green 
blades  of  the  freshly  sprouted  wheat.  The  new  con- 
vert was  much  surprised  when  I  remarked  that  in 
my  country  snow  in  the  Winter  covers  the  ground 
several  feet  deep,  and  sometimes  even  buries  houses. 
His  confidence  in  my  Christian  veracity  saved  my 
credit  in  what  seemed  a  marvelous  story. 

A  brisk  walk  brought  us  to  the  village  where  I 
had   promised   that   Narain   Sing  would   pay  a  visit. 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI. 


29 


We  passed  up  to  the  chaupal,  followed  by  some 
villagers,  who  were  anxious  to  hear  and  see  what  a 
Hindu  metamorphosed  into  a  Christian  might  be 
like.  A  half-hundred  more  gathered  round  us  when 
we  sat  down  in  the  shade  of  a  large  tree  near  the 
center  of  the  village,  and  I  could  see  a  smile  of 
amused  disappointment  play  on  the  faces  of  some 
as  they  looked  at  the  convert,  as  much  as  to  say, 
**Is  that  all?"  There  he  sat,  clothed  as  before,  and 
speaking  the  same  tongue.  From  all  sides  he  was 
plied  with  questions  as  to  the  how  and  wherefore  of 
all  that  had  happened.  He  seemed  thoroughly  pre- 
pared to  ''give  a  reason  for  the  hope  within  him," 
and  in  turn  questioned  his  catechisers  in  such  a  way 
as  to  draw  out  a  confession  of  the  folly  of  idolatry. 
** Clothed  and  in  his  right  mind"  seemed  so  appro- 
priate, as  I  looked  on  the  face  of  the  man  from 
whom  the  demons  of  idolatry  had  so  recently  been 
cast  out,  and  marked  its  contrast  with  the  faces  of 
that  idolatrous  group.  The  one  beamed  wdth  good- 
ness and  a  new  intelligence,  and  the  others  were  full 
of  folly  and  superstition. 

We  talked  a  long  time,  apparently  to  little  effect. 
Ephraim  seemed  joined  to  his  idols.  Narain  Sing 
urged  them  to  pray  that  their  darkness  and  hard- 
ness might  be  taken  away,  and  that  the  true  path  of 
salvation  might  become  plain  to  them.  Some  one  in 
the  crowd  was  heard  saying  to  another.  "Why  he  is 
not  a  Christian.  He  looks  just  like  he  did — wears 
just  the  same  clothes.      Is  this  being  a  Christian?" 

Most  distorted  and  ludicrous  ideas  prevail  in  some 
places  as  to  the  change  in  food  and  dress  that  must 


30  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

take  place  on  becoming  a  Christian.  Some  seem  to 
imagine  that  they  must  at  once  adopt  an  Enghsh 
dress  and  eat  cow's  flesh,  which  last  is  most  revolt- 
ing to  the  Hindu.  The  adherents  of  a  religion  of 
food  and  dress  and  ceremony  take  in  a  spiritual  relig- 
ion slowly. 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  village  we  stopped  for 
a  few  minutes  at  a  rude  sugar  manufactory.  They, 
were  pressing  out  the  juice  and  boiling  it  down  into 
a  kind  of  damp,  compact  sugar.  I  spoke  to  the 
workmen  of  the  facilities  and  extensive  scale  on 
which  sucrar  is  made  in  America.  To  them  it  seemed 
fabulous.  I  then  insisted  that  when  they  become 
Christians  and  cast  off  their  thoughts  and  works  of 
darkness,  they  too  will  make  sugar  and  other  things 
on  such  a  scale.  Some  smiled  at  such  a  result  of 
accepting  the  new  faith. 

At  two  o'clock  I  took  Narain  Sing  into  the  vil- 
lage near  which  we  were  encamped.  I  desired  the 
villagers  to  see  the  convert  about  whom  so  many 
silly  stories  were  told  and  believed.  A  number  of 
villagers  came  together,  and  among  them  a  loqua- 
cious, broken  down,  old  zemindar,  who  displayed  a 
frightful  scar,  from  a  wound  received  in  the  mutiny. 
Of  course  he  paraded  it  as  a  memento  of  his  loyalty 
in  withstanding  the  rebels;  but  much  more  likely  he 
got  it  in  an  attempt  to  pillage  some  weaker  village 
in  those  days  of  anarchy.  All  seemed  pleased  with 
our  visit,  and  agreeably  disappointed  in  finding  a 
new  made  Christian  so  pleasant  a  fellow.  Narain 
Sing  urged  on  them  the  claims  of  Christianity  and 
exposed    the   worthlessness    of  their    religion.      All 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  3 1 

listened  with  manifest  interest.      He  then  returned  to 
his  village. 

In  the  evening  I  crossed  the  river  alone,  to  a  vil- 
lage visited  a  short  time  before.  Meanwhile  the  villa- 
gers seemed  to  have  meditated  opposition  and  insult, 
for  when  I  attempted  to  talk  they  began  to  mock. 
There  is  a  Mohammedan  teacher  in  the  Government 
school  here,  although  nearly  all  the  villagers  are 
Hindus.  These  Moslem  teachers  very  often  raise  a 
bad  feeling  against  us  and  our  message  in  the  vil- 
lages where  they  are  at  work.  Inconsistent  as  it 
really  is  with  the  pretensions  of  their  religion,  yet 
they  would  much  rather  see  the  Hindu  perish  in 
idolatry  than  embrace  Christianity — so  jealous  are 
they  of  its  progress. 

I  could  make  no  satisfactory  headway  in  trying 
to  talk,  so  persistent  were  a  number  of  impudent 
** fellows  of  the  baser  sort"  in  thrusting  impertinent 
questions  on  me  at  the  end  of  almost  every  sen- 
tence. I  saw  that  it  was  useless  trying  to  talk,  and 
was  about  to  quit  when  the  teacher  called  for  some 
coarse,  brazen-faced  fellow  in  the  crowd  to  reply  to 
what  I  had  said,  and  who  promptly  stepped  forward. 
I  took  this  to  be  preconcerted  from  the  way  it  was 
done,  and  knowing  that  nothing  good  could  come 
of  protracting  the  conversation,  reproved  the  teacher 
for  his  insolence  in  calling  that  ill-mannered  fellow 
forward  to  insult  me.  With  a  condemned,  guilty 
look,  he  fell  back  in  shame,  and  I  turned  to  walk 
away  when  the  crowd,  old  and  young,  set  up  an  up- 
roarious hooting  and  clapping  of  hands  behind  me. 
This  was  meant  as  *'a  drumming  out  of  camp,"  and 


32  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

was  a  great  outrage  to  me,  as  a  visitor  in  the  village. 
I  simply  turned,  and,  addressing  two  or  three  of  those 
in  advance  of  the  crowd,  told  them  that  if  I  would 
bring  such  an  attempt  at  insult  and  mob  violence  to 
the  ears  of  the  English  rulers  they  would  get  very 
severely  punished. 

There  is  a  wholesome  fear  of  English  law  in  the 
country,  and  a  word  to  the  wise  was  sufficient.  I 
then  walked  away;  but  the  teacher  with  one  of  the 
villagers  followed  for  some  distance,  and  with  an  air 
of  most  abject  submission,  disavowed  emphatically, 
all  part  in  the  uproar  or  any  intention  to  be  uncivil. 
They  were  dismissed  with  a  caution  for  the  future, 
and  I  wended  my  way  in  the  thickening  darkness 
of  the  evening  across  the  now  lonely  and  forsaken 
fields,  feeling  that  I  had  been  but  casting  pearls  be- 
fore swine,  and  reflecting  on  the  blessed  security  and 
protection  the  British  power  afforded  to  missionaries 
in  this  country.  I  have  often  been  convinced  that 
we  get  a  safe  and  quiet  hearing  in  many  places  sim- 
ply because  there  is  held  out  over  these  places  an 
arm  of  power  which  is  a  terror  to  evil-doers.  I  felt 
disheartened  with  these  villagers. 

Reaching  camp,  we  went  to  the  village  chaupal 
for  a  night  meeting.  We  soon  had  a  crowd,  and 
entered  into  a  friendly  talk  with  them  about  their 
temporal  interests.  One  zemindar  was  bewailing  his 
ill-fortune  in  having  his  land  recently  sold  at  auction 
to  satisfy  sundry  claims  against  him.  Much  of  the 
landed  property  of  the  country  is  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  bunyas  (shop-keeper  and  merchant)  in 
this  way:  They  lend  money  at  an  exorbitant  rate  to 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  33 

the  land-holders,  when  they  find  them  in  a  difficulty ; 
then   let  it  stand  until   it  has  trebled  or   quadrupled 
itself,  and  then  sometime  when  they  find  the  careless 
land-holder  at  a  disadvantage,  pounce  down  on  him 
and  sell  him  out.      At   this  rate,  by  and  by,  a  very 
large  part  of  the  land  will  pass  from  its  former  hold- 
ers into  the  hands   of  the   merchant   caste.      Having 
expressed  sympathy  at  the  evil  fortune  of  our  com- 
plaining friends,  we  called  their  attention  to  the  more 
certain  riches  of  the   heavenly   kingdom.      At  inter- 
vals a  hymn  illustrating  the  Christian  spirit  and  sen- 
timent was  sung  to  a  native  air.     All  listened  with  the 
best  of  attention,  till  at  last  an  objector,  who  seemed 
to  think  the  tide  had  gone  far   enough   in   favor   of 
the  new  religion  for  that  time,  presented  a  curious, 
and  as  he  seemed  to  think,  a  final  test  of  its  truth- 
fulness. 

-If  Christ,"  said  he,  "be  God,  and  a  true  incar- 
nation, let  him  appear  and  show  himself  to  us  this 
evening,  and  we  will  believe  on  him." 

''Do  you  think  Ram  a  true  incarnation?" 
**Yes,"  with  emphatic  confidence. 
''Well,  if  Ram  be  a  true  incarnation,  let  him  ap- 
pear this  evening,  and  I  will  believe  on  him." 

This  was  an  application  of  the  man's  own  argu- 
ment that  he  had  not  anticipated,  and  he  was  com- 
pletely confounded.  I  then  dwelt  for  a  moment  on 
the  unreasonableness  and  folly  of  setting  up  our  own 
silly  arbitrary  tests  of  the  truth,  and  urged  all  with 
unprejudiced  hearts  to  seek  for  truth  and  purity  as 
they  had  never  done  before,  as  the  night  of  death 
might  soon  cut  off  all  opportunity. 


34  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

Dccc7nbcr  13. — Went  with  James  to  Shikrapore, 
in  the  direction  of  the  village  of  the  new  convert,  Na- 
rain  Sing.  We  found  the  chaupal  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  village ;  but  before  seating  ourselves  for  a  talk, 
we  walked  through  the  village  as  an  announcement 
of  a  meeting.  The  villagers  seemed  generally  at 
work,  some  looking  after  their  cattle,  and  several 
busy  at  their  looms.  As  they  cast  an  inquiring 
glance  at  us  we  invited  them  to  come  to  the  chaupal 
and  hear  a  very  important  message.  Thither  we  re- 
turned, followed  as  usual  by  a  chattering  group  of 
children,  and  sat  down  in  the  broad,  grateful  shade 
of  a  large  neem  tree  which  overshadows  what  was, 
for  the  time,  our  chapel.  Soon  more  than  a  hun- 
dred villagers  were  gathered  about  us,  sitting  and 
standing,  gaping  and  talking,  but  in  no  very  teacha- 
ble mood,  as  I  found  out  on  trying  to  tell  them  of 
Christ  and  his  salvation.  They  seemed  aggravated 
at  the  fact  that  one  of  their  neighbors  from  the  next 
village  had  become  a  Christian.  Almost  every  state- 
ment I  made  met  with  some  frivolous  objection  or 
contradiction,  and  it  was  soon  apparent  that  our  audi- 
tors were  of  the  swine  type,  and  not  likely  to  receive 
any  good  from  pearls  thrown  before  them.  I  tried 
to  speak  of  the  folly  and  wickedness  of  idolatry,  to 
which  some  one  replied,  that  the  English,  at  Cal- 
cutta, worship  Kali  (a  vile,  bloody  goddess).  Again 
and  again  have  I  met  this  statement,  the  origin  of 
which  I  can  not  find  out.  It  is  commonly  believed 
among  the  villagers  that  the  English,  at  Calcutta,  do 
offer  sacrifices  to  this  goddess.  Probably  some  wily 
Brahmin  invented  the  story  to  give  greater   sanction 


CAMP  AT  DAHEMI.  35 

to  declining  idolatry.  A  similar  story  is  current 
among  the  Hindus  in  regard  to  the  Ganges  canal. 
From  Hard  war,  where  the  Ganges  emerges  from  the 
Himalayas,  to  Cawnpore,  a  distance  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  a  magnificent  excavation,  with 
numerous  branches,  was  made,  to  be  fed  by  the  sa- 
cred river.  Before  the  water  was  let  in  the  Brah- 
mins avowed,  emphatically,  that  Guiigajee  (the  Gan- 
ges) would  never  submit  to  the  desecration  of  being 
turned  from  her  time-honored  bed.  But  when  the 
excavation  was  completed,  helpless  as  other  rivers, 
the  obedient  Ganges  flowed  in,  much  to  the  confu- 
sion of  the  confident  Brahmins.  But  now  all  over 
the  country  we  meet  the  story  that  Guiigajee  inexor- 
bly  refused  to  enter  the  canal  until  the  English  had 
made  very  costly  offerings  to  her.  Some  cunning 
Brahmin  has  invented  this  story  to  bolster  up  the 
endangered  reputation  of  the  deflected  stream.  The 
statement  of  the  worship  of  Kali  was  contradicted 
as  a  ** cunningly  devised"  falsehood,  and  we  turned 
to  leave  these  hardened  devotees  of  folly.  Imme- 
diately a  contemptuous  uproar  of  clapping  and  hiss- 
ing and  hooting  was  set  up  in  our  rear.  We  walked 
back  and  confronting  those  who  seemed  to  be  the 
leaders  in  this  uproar,  I  calmly  told  them  that  for 
such  a  insulting  breach  of  order  and  quiet  they  could 
be  severely  punished.  At  once  all  were  as  meek  and 
submissive  as  lambs ;  not  that  they  cared  a  fig  for  us, 
but  there  is  a  power  in  the  country  that  they  have 
learned  to  fear.  It  is  well  that  we  can  protect  our- 
selves like  Paul,  by  reminding  them  of  a  power  to 
which  they  may  have  to  give  an  account.     Returned 


36  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

to  camp  I  baptized  a  low  caste  man  and  his  wife, 
who  had  been  inquirers  for  some  time.  Their  two 
children  Avere  baptized  with  them,  so  that  they  now 
constitute  a  Christian  family.  Both  rich  and  poor 
have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them  in  these  villages; 
but  generally  the  poor  as  yet  give  the  best  attention, 
and  we  have  most  fruit  among  them.  This  is  as  it 
has  always  been  in  the  progress  of  the  Gospel.  After 
praying  with  and  exhorting  these  new  converts  to 
stand  fast  in  the  Lord,  we  struck  camp  and  drove 
home  to  Budaon. 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  37 


II. 

A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE. 

DECEMBER  16,  1867.— We  had  sent  our  camp 
on  to  a  large  village  called  Daharpoor,  fifteen 
miles  distant,  and  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  set  out  with 
Mrs.  Scott  and  our  two  little  girls  in  a  buggy,  intend- 
ing to  stop  midway  to  rest  the  horse.  We  passed 
Lukempore,  where  an  inquirer  lives,  whom  the  women 
of  the  village  are  more  effectually  striving  to  turn 
away  from  the  faith  than  did  Elymas,  the  sorcerer, 
the  deputy  of  Cyprus.  It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that 
the  women  of  this  country  are  the  most  bitter  and 
successful  opposers  of  our  efforts.  At  Fareedpore, 
midway  to  camp,  we  halted  to  let  the  jaded  horse 
rest.  A  few  miles  of  the  road  proved  very  sandy. 
Fareedpore  is  beautifully  situated  for  a  plains'  village. 
On  an  elevation,  it  commands  an  unusually  wide 
range  of  pleasant  scenery.  A  small  lake  stretched 
away  in  front  of  us,  fringed  with  low  palm-trees, 
while  the  fields  of  fresh  green  wheat  were  spread  out 
in  a  most  refreshing  landscape  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  with  here  and  there  an  orchard-like  grove  of 
mango-trees.  We  sat  in  the  shade  of  a  tree  and  en- 
joyed a  lunch  of  bread  and  butter,  with  cake  and  a 
bottle  of  tea. 

The  zemindar  of  the  village  came  up  and  seemed 


38  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

desirous  to  converse  in  a  general  way.  His  home 
is  thirty  miles  from  this  village,  and  he  was  then 
present,  for  a  short  time,  to  collect  his  rents.  A 
more  perfect  specimen  of  a  devotee  to  avarice  I 
never  before  saw.  He  looked  the  very  image  of 
worldly  greed,  and  his  whole  being  seemed  absorbed 
in  an  unsatiated  hunger  after  wealth.  As  I  talked  to 
him  and  saw  how  completely  his  whole  soul  seemed 
taken  up  with  this  life,  and  its  cares  and  gain,  I 
thought  of  the  Savior's  words,  "After  all  these  things 
do  the  Gentiles  seek."  And  they  do  seek  after  them 
with  a  carking,  hungering,  all-absorbing  devotion  and 
greed,  which  must  be  seen,  by  living  in  their  Gentile 
midst,  to  be  realized.  I  tried  to  turn  this  man's 
thoughts  to  his  soul  and  to  a  consideration  of  the 
life  beyond.  Manifestly  this  was  completely  foreign 
to  his  habit  of  mind.  When  I  asked  him  what  he 
thought  becomes  of  the  spirit  at  death — **0,"  said 
he,  with  an  air  of  indifference,  **it  goes  out  like 
that,"  sending  a  whiff  of  air  from  his  mouth,  ''and 
that  is  the  end  of  it,  I  suppose."  I  urged  that  it 
might  not  be  the  end  of  it,  and  that  it  would  be 
wiser  at  any  rate  for  him  to  act  on  the  safer  suppo- 
sition. He  confessed,  with  a  frankness  that  was  sad, 
his  darkness  on  this  subject.  I  told  him  of  Jesus 
and  the  life  and  immortality  he  has  brought  to  light 
in  the  Gospel;  but  he  seemed  hopelessly  enthralled 
in  darkness  and  in  the  world. 

While  we  were  talking,  an  inquirer  came  up, 
who  is  acting  as  a  colporteur  in  our  work.  His 
sack  of  books  was  slung  on  his  back,  and  I  asked 
him  to  rest  with  us  for  a  moment  by  the  wayside. 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  39 

He  is  a  Mohammedan,  but  did  not  refuse  to  eat  a 
bit  of  cake  offered  him,  ahhough  most  Mohammed- 
ans in  India  are  so  far  conformed  to  caste  notions 
that  they  will  not  touch  food  with  a  Christian. 
Hindu  converts  to  Islamism  have  retained  much  of 
their  former  superstition  and  caste  prejudice.  It  is 
hard  to  tell,  sometimes,  whether  Islam  has  put  on 
Hinduism  or  Hinduism  Islam.  It  is  very  difficult, 
too,  to  keep  Christian  converts  free  from  caste  preju- 
dices, so  powerful  is  the  force  of  example  and  senti- 
ment. This  inquirer  seems  to  approach  the  Christian 
faith  very  slowly,  yet  I  hope  securely.  Time  alone 
will  tell,  such  hidden  and  complex  motives  often 
actuate  these  people.  He  swung  up  his  books  and 
made  for  a  village  across  the  fields,  while  we  pushed 
on  over  the  remaining  seven  long,  dusty  miles  of 
our  drive  to  camp.  It  was  dark  night  when  we 
pulled  up  before  the  tent,  in  the  bright  light  of  a 
fire  of  crackling  brush.  On  the  field  for  to-morrow. 
December  17. — Was  up  early  in  the  morning  and 
off  to  a  village  called  Ismaelgunge,  in  which  we  have 
the  name  of  Ismael  of  old.  The  name  has  been 
given  by  the  Mohammedans,  who  claim  Ismael  as 
their  ancient  progenitor.  A  very  large  crowd  assem- 
bled to  hear  what  was  to  be  said,  and  all  listened 
very  quietly  for  some  time.  A  good  impression 
apparently  was  made,  and  at  last,  with  commenda- 
ble honesty,  a  villager,  in  a  very  sincere  tone,  sug- 
gested that  if  they  leave  their  gods  they  will  surely 
take  revenge  on  them.  I  referred  him  to  many 
countries  where  idolatry  has  been  abandoned,  and 
the  people  enjoy  greater  security  and  prosperity  than 


40  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

before.  This  is  a  most  common  objection  among 
Hindus  to  giving  up  their  gods  and  idols. 

In  the  evening  went  to  a  small  village  called 
Baharepoor  (village  of  Spring).  A  number  of  vil- 
lagers assembled,  and  listened  in  an  assenting  spirit 
to  what  we  had  to  say.  One  man,  in  a  very  gra- 
cious, patronizing  way,  pointed  to  his  boy,  who  is 
reading  in  the  government  school,  and  remarked  that 
he  is  a  Christian,  having  entered  our  religion.  This 
was  said  in  a  tone  of  fun  and  flattery,  which  some- 
times we  meet  in  certain  characters.  I  replied  to 
the  man  that  he  had  yet  but  very  little  conception 
of  what  Christian  means;  to  which,  still  in  the  best 
of  humor,  he  answered  that  he  and  those  about  him 
were  simply  oxen,  but  they  hoped  for  better  things 
from  their  children;  to  which  I  added  a  hope  even 
more  strong,  and  then  urged  him,  however,  not  to 
neglect  his  own  soul.  I  assured  him  that  his  gods 
and  idols  could  do  nothing  for  him,  upon  which  he 
set  up  a  flippant  defense  of  them  both,  showing, 
after  all,  how  little  hold  they  have  on  his  better 
judgment.  He  then  referred  to  a  wealthy  man  in  a 
village  near  by,  and  said  that  when  I  would  make 
him  a  Christian  they  would  all  follow.  But  little 
impression  seemed  likely  to  be  made,  and  we  re- 
turned to  the  camp  village,  reaching  it  as  night 
came  on. 

A  large  crowd  assembled  in  the  chaupal,  where 
we  read  the  Scriptures,  and  tried  to  instruct  them  in 
the  way  of  life.  Several  rude  fellows  manifested  an 
almost  insufferable  amount  of  impudence  in  asking 
impertinent,    and   even   insulting   questions,    in  such 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  41 

a  way  as  to  interrupt  our  talk.  A  silly  attempt 
at  ridiculing  some  doctrines  was  made.  At  last  I 
thought  that  by  singing  a  hymn,  such  as  often  had 
pleased  the  natives,  I  might  arouse  in  them  a  better 
spirit;  but  to  my  confusion,  when  I  had  sung  a 
verse  and  looked  off  the  book,  I  found  my  hearers 
** laughing  in  their  sleeve"  at  the  attempt.  I  laid 
down  the  book  in  despair,  and  began  to  tell  them 
that  they  seemed  lost  not  only  to  their  want  of  sal- 
vation, but  to  all  courtesy  (on  which  every  well-bred 
native  prides  himself),  when  the  very  fellow  whom  I 
had  caught  winking  at  the  rest  and  laughing  at  my 
attempt  at  singing,  impudently  asked  me  to  sing  an- 
other song,  affirming  that  I  was  a  most  excellent 
singer,  accompanying  his  request  with  a  sly,  fun- 
making  look  at  the  crowd.  It  was  manifest  that  our 
hearers  were  of  the  swine  type,  and  that  instruction 
would  only  be  trampled  under  foot.  I  asked  James 
to  close  the  meeting  with  a  word  of  friendly  exhor- 
tation, which  he  did,  telling  our  rude  audience  that 
their  wickedness  would  lead  them  to  hell,  to  which 
ready  reply  was  made  that  it  would  be  no  improve- 
ment to  become  Christians,  as  there  was  Moses 
Peters  (a  native  Christian  living  in  the  village),  the 
greatest  liar,  rogue,  and  most  licentious  man  in  their 
midst.  They  were  told  that  he  was  a  lawless  char- 
acter, not  recognized  by  us  as  a  Christian  now  at  all. 
But  making  a  good  impression  seemed  a  hopeless 
task,  and  we  turned  away.  I  felt  heart-sick  at  the 
brazen  hardiness  and  self-satisfied  blindness  of  these 
villagers,  and  went  to  my  tent  to  pray  for  them  and 
for  grace  to  preach  the  Word  in  the  spirit  of  Christ. 


42  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

December  i8. — Was  up  before  the  sun,  and,  with 
James,  on  our  way  across  the  fields  to  a  village 
called  Dholeeppoor.  We  passed  through  the  gar- 
den, where  some  orange-trees  were  loaded  down 
with,  their  ripe  golden  fruit.  We  helped  ourselves 
to  several  delicious  oranges  from  these  trees,  which 
have  been  planted  by  a  half-caste,  a  Mr.  M'Clean, 
who  has  a  small  house  here.  He  is  one  of  a  class 
of  people,  multiplying  in  the  country,  who  socially 
are  a.  kind  of  pitiable  compromise  between  the  native 
and  the  European.  They  are  pitiable  in  every  sense 
of  the  word.  By  no  fault  of  their  own,  they  find 
themselves  on  the  stage  of  being  with  a  blood  legit- 
imately or  illegitimately  mingled  with  that  of  the 
native,  much  to  their  social  disqualification  and  dis- 
comfort. Besides  this,  they  are  apt  to  have,  from 
the  force  of  nature  and  circumstances,  a  sad  blend- 
ing of  the  native  and  European  vices.  No  wonder 
that  the  late  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  a  noble  Christian 
minister,  took  the  case  of  this  class  of  the  Indian 
population  actively  to  heart.  He  was  planning  ex- 
tensively for  their  education  and  general  welfare 
when  he  met  an  untimely  and  lamentable  end  by 
drowning.  We  passed  on  to  the  chaupal  of  the  vil- 
lage, eating  the  oranges,  and  soon  had  our  congre- 
gation. By  walking  two  or  three  miles,  we  are  able 
regularly  to  observe  Mr.  Wesley's  rule  of  early 
morning  preaching.  I  visited  this  village  in  the 
morning  nearly  one  year  ago,  but  find  (what  is  unu- 
sual) that  no  one  recollects  a  single  thought  or  word 
then  uttered.  Surely,  here  is  stony  ground  and  shal- 
low earth. 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  43 

I  see  from  my  journal  that  that  very  morning  I 
read  and  tried  to  enforce  the  parable  of  the  sower. 
I  upbraided  them  with  their  forgetfulness,  saying 
that  if  I  had  told  them  of  some  plan  to  make 
money,  in  long  years  they  would  have  remembered 
it.  All  listened  very  well,  and  at  last  an  honest, 
rustic-looking  old  fellow,  in  all  apparent  sincerity, 
proposed  becoming  a  Christian  if  I  would  give  him 
a  village!  I  smiled  at  his  naivete,  and  urged  that  he 
must  accept  the  kingdom  of  heaven  from  higher 
motives,  and  labor  for  the  meat  that  perisheth  not. 
Through  two  thousand  years,  the  most  palpable  mo- 
tive for  following  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the  loaves 
and  the  fishes.  Nor  is  it  wisdom  to  deal  too  sharply 
and  severely  with  this,  for  often  the  selfish  disciple 
becomes  the  bold  and  devoted  Peter  or  the  loving 
John.  After  all,  there  is  something  hopeful  about 
this  village.  The  people  seem  docile  and  unresist- 
ing, and  say,  too,  that  when  they  understand  the 
matter  better  they  will  join  us. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  visited  the  government  school 
of  the  village  near  which  we  are  encamped.  It  is 
kept  up  in  the  chaupal  where  we  had  such  an  un- 
manageable audience  last  night.  After  examining 
the  boys  in  their  reading,  arithmetic,  and  geogra- 
phy, I  talked  to  them  awhile  on  religion;  and,  see- 
ing that  a  number  of  the  impudent  hearers  of  last 
night  had  assembled  about  the  door,  I  whipped 
them  sharply,  over  the  shoulders  of  the  boys,  on 
the  matter  of  good  manners.  A  well-bred  native  is 
very  sensitive  on  this  point. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  Papiir,  a  village  near 


44  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

by.  An  educated  Hindu  lives  here,  under  whom  I 
studied  Hindustani'-^^  for  a  time.  He  has  abandoned 
idolatry,  and  lost  faith  in  the  sacred  books,  but  does 
not  see  salvation  in  Christ.  His  belief  is  a  rayless, 
vacillating  something  between  pantheism  and  athe- 
ism. He  is  an  intelligent,  mild-tempered,  good- 
humored  man,  and  we  used  to  talk  over  the  matter 
for  hours  apparently  to  no  purpose,  until  I  gave  him 
up  as  lost  in  mental  mists  and  vague  fancies.  A 
goodly  number  of  villagers  assembled  to  hear  us, 
and  we  met  the  irrepressible  story  of  Narain  Sing's 
(the  new  convert)  starving  condition,  and  the  gen- 
eral ruin  supposed  to  be  brought  on  by  his  bap- 
tism. Of  course  we  soon  dressed  the  story  up  until 
it  was  quite  a  different  affair,  and  our  friend  stood  in 
a  truer  light  before  his  commiserating  countrymen. 
But  it  was  manifest  that  they  would  have  been  better 
pleased  if  the  former  story  had  been  true.  As  we 
left  the  village  we  could  hardly  record,  "These  Avere 
more  noble  than  those  in  Thessalonica. "  They 
heard  with  a  great  deal  of  silly  contention,  except  one 
cringing  fellow,  formerly  the  patwari  (village  clerk), 
who  seemed  to  see  some  advantage  in  cultivating  a 
good  understanding  with  us.  He,  with  his  son,  a 
lad  of  fifteen  years,  followed  us  for  nearly  a  mile, 
affirming  his  undoubted  conviction,  all  the  while,  of 
the  absolute  truth  of  all  that  had  been  preached,  and 
depicting  in  a  most  glaring  manner  the  shocking 
vileness  and  connubial  infidelity  of  his  neighbors  and 
fellow  countrymen  generally. 


The  name  by  which  the  dialect  of  Northern  India  is  called. 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  45 

"Caste,"  said  he,  '*  is  not  observed,  for  all  asso- 
ciate in  the  most  wicked  and  promiscuous  manner." 
Afterward  James  told  me  that  all  he  said  was  literally 
true;  but  the  key  to  his  conviction  of  Christian 
truth,  and  his  appreciation  of  the  appalling  depravity 
of  his  neighbors,  he  put  into  my  hand,  as  he  turned 
to  leave,  by  asking  me  to  try  and  have  him,  or 
at  least  his  son — the  lad  with  him — appointed  as 
village  patwari.  It  was  the  loaves  and  the  fishes 
again. 

At  night  we  repaired,  for  a  meeting,  to  the  chau- 
pal  of  our  camp  village,  and  found  a  much  more 
orderly  audience  than  the  previous  night.  The  vil- 
lagers seem  to  have  become  ashamed  of  their  inso- 
lence, and  perhaps  are  trying  to  do  better.  The  vil- 
lage pundit  (Hindu  religious  teacher)  was  present, 
and  from  time  to  time  put  in  a  feeble  defense  for 
his  religion,  as  it  was  assailed  in  some  point  of  our 
talk.  I  could  but  mark  the  striking  difference  be- 
tween him  and  the  native  helper,  James,  as  they 
came  into  collision.  It  was  calm  truth  and  eniight- 
ment  on  one  side,  and  narrow  bigotry,  superstition, 
and  confusion  on  the  other.  The  pundit  soon  became 
silent  and  withdrew.  A  good  impression  seemed  to 
be  made. 

December  19 — Revisited  Ismaelgwige  early  in  the 
morning.  A  group  of  natives  were  sitting  on  their 
heels  around  a  little  fire,  and  lazily  smoking  by  turns 
a  hukka  (pipe).  Natives  are  nearly  all  inveterate 
smokers.  The  hukka,  a  long  pipe  so  constructed  that 
the  smoke  is  drawn  through  water  in  reaching  the 
mouth,  is  the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  a  sine  qua 


46  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

71011  the  day  long,  and  the  last  thing  at  night.  The 
mechanic  has  his  hukka  filled  and  convenient  nearly- 
all  the  time;  a  little  smoking  bit  of  fuel,  about  the 
field  somewhere,  points  out  the  place  where  the  cul- 
tl .ator  repairs  to  inhale  the  much  loved  fume ;  the 
traveler  always  has  his  smoking  **  traps"  complete 
and  at  hand,  that  a  coal  from  any  village  passed  may 
send  forth  the  smoke  of  this  universal  censer;  and 
he  is  poor  and  niggardly  indeed  who  is  not  able  and 
ready  to  present  the  lighted  hukka  to  a  friend  when 
he  calls.  Our  native  Christians  reply  with  a  look  of 
perplexed  sadness  to  our  arguments  against  contin- 
uing the  practice,  **How  will  we  entertain  our 
friends?"  Their  next  objection  is,  ^' pet  phuljaegay" 
wdiich  means,  dear  reader,  that  their  abdomen  will 
swell  if  they  leave  off  the  pipe.  Men  of  one  caste 
pass  round  the  same  pipe  and  take  their  turn ;  those 
of  a  different  caste  take  off  the  bowl  of  the  pipe, 
and  making  a  stem  of  the  hand,  soon  have  the  odor- 
ous wreath  curling  about  their  head. 

I  began  to  talk,  and  the  group  of  smokers  were 
soon  joined  by  others.  I  told  them  that  I  was  in 
their  midst  again  to  invite  them  to  become  Chris- 
tians, as  there  is  no  other  name  than  that  of  Jesus 
whereby  men  may  be  saved.  Some  of  them  replied 
that  if  I  would  give  them  a  village  tlfey  would  join 
us  at  once.  The  folly  of  such  a  motive  was  urged. 
Then  some  one  rehearsed  the  story  of  the  new  con- 
vert, the  reply  to  which  I  have  quite  by  heart  now. 
Meantime  a  zemindar  rode  up  on  a  fine  horse  and 
put  in — more  for  fun,  I  thought  this  time,  than  any 
thing  else — *'We  will  all  become  Christians  for  vil- 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  47 

lages."  He  emphasized  the  all,  and  said  that  they 
were  ready.  A  contempt  for  humanity  can  hardly 
be  kept  down  sometimes  where  one  sees  it  so  much, 
acting  simply  from  low,  selfish  motives.  There  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  if  we  could  present 
Christ  to  this  people  ''with  houses  and  lands"  the 
masses  would  flock  after  him.  So  they  were  ready 
to  do  when  he  moved  among  the  villages  of  Palestine 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago. 

Returning  to  camp,  I  had  an  interview  with  a 
zemindar,  who  seemed  to  be  a  serious  kind  of  a  man, 
but  not  inclined  at  first  to  grant  the  universal  claim 
of  Christianity  on  the  race.  I  explained  to  him  how 
that  already  many  peoples  had  abandoned  idolatry 
and  accepted  Christianity,  and  that  in  the  end  his 
people  would  most  certainly  do  the  same  thing 
when  they  come  to  understand  how  great  a  blessing 
it  is.  He  left  in  a  friendly  spirit,  and  we  set  out  for 
Dara,  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Ramgunga  River, 
ten  miles  distant.  One  tent  had  been  sent  forward 
in  the  night.  Preached  midway,  in  the  streets  of 
Datagunge,  a  large  central  village.  A  crowd  heard, 
having  gathered  in  from  their  shops  and  work.  They 
were  urged  to  labor  more  for  the  meat  that  perisheth 
not.  A  young  Mohammedan,  swelling  with  conceit 
and  fancied  importance  apparently  to  a  point  of  dis- 
comfort, pressed  through  the  crowd,  and,  pushing  up 
conspicuously  in  front,  demanded: 

**Why  did  Christ  come  into  the  world?" 

"To  save  sinners  and  you." 

''Why  did  he  stay  just  thirty-three  years?" 

**If  his   mission   on   earth   was  accomplished   in 


48  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

thirty-three  years  why  should  you  or  I  presume  to 
question  the  propriety  of  this  or  any  time?" 

"But  what  proof  have  you  that  the  present  New 
Testament  is  the  original  one?" 

I  then  gave  him  a  few  reasons  for  believing  this  to 
be  the  original  New  Testament,  and  urged  him  to 
study  and  to  learn  more  about  Christ.  After  a  little 
talk  the  fellow  turned  away  in  affected  disgust  and  left 
us  a  quiet  audience  again.  It  is  surprising  how  some 
Mohammedans  presume  on  the  ignorance  and  stupid- 
ity of  Christians.  They  seem  to  think  the  doctrine 
of  the  trinity  and  the  divinity  of  Christ  absurdities 
which  they  can  expose  and  leave  untenable  with  a  few 
short  sentences;  so  of  the  uncorrupted  preservation 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  They  have,  in  their  own  fan- 
cies, so  often  exploded  these  and  other  doctrines,  in 
their  boastings  and  conversations  among  themselves, 
that  they  imagine  shame  and  confusion  of  face  must 
be  the  fate  of  any  hapless  Christian  they  may  attack. 
Often  a  mere  lad  rushes  in,  when  we  are  talking, 
and  with  an  air  perfectly  confident  of  victory,  de- 
mands how  God  can  have  a  wife,  or  how  three  can 
be  one,  or  how  God  can  assume  a  human  body  with 
its  impurities,  etc.  An  attempt  at  answering  these 
foolish  questions  may  be  any  thing  else  than  satis- 
factory, if  one  does  not  succeed  in  calming  the  ex- 
cited interrogator  so  as  to  get  his  attention.  If  he 
can  be  curbed  to  soberness,  and  the  crowd  keep 
quiet,  he  may  go  away  feeling  that  the  Christian  sys- 
tem after  all  is  not  simply  folly.  Our  Mohammedan 
friend  went  away  somewhat  sobered.  A  fakeer  ap- 
peared in  the  crowd  with  a  broken  head,  the  result 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  49 

of  a  quarrel  about  some  land,  which  did  not  speak 
very  well  for  his  profession  of  being  lost  to  earthly 
cares  and  tempers. 

We  pushed  on  to  camp,  which  was  located  in  a 
mango  grove  that  reminded  me  very  much  of  an 
apple  orchard  lying  in  a  meadow.  It  was  a  delight- 
ful spot  in  which  to  encamp.  An  old  fakeer  lives  in 
one  corner  of  the  grove  in  a  hut.  He  said  he  planted 
the  trees  thirty  years  ago,  and  hopes  to  reap  his  re- 
ward in  the  future  world.  To  plant  trees  or  dig  a 
well  is  deemed  a  very  meritorious  act  among  the 
Hindus.  Both  certainly  are  blessings  in  a  land  so 
hot  and  thirsty  as  this  is  a  large  part  of  the  year. 
In  the  evening,  went  into  a  village  near  by  with 
James.  We  hailed  the  choukedar  (village  watchman), 
and  requested  him  to  call  the  people  to  the  chaupal. 

''They  know  where  your  tent  is  and  will  come  to 
you  if  they  wish." 

''But  we  wish  to  see  them  now  at  the  chaupal." 

"All  know  you,  and  that  you  have  come  to  make 
us  Christians." 

We  assured  him  that  it  was  only  to  persuade 
men,  not  to  force  them,  that  we  had  come.  After 
a  little  parleying  he  went  off  into  the  village,  and 
some  hearers  were  soon  about  us.  In  urging  them 
to  turn  to  the  true  God,  some  one  replied  that  they 
now  worship  the  true  God.  We  then  called  their 
attention  to  the  character  of  the  vile,  filthy  divini- 
ties which  they  worship,  and  asked  them  if  this  is 
the  worship  of  the  true  God.  Still  a  loquacious 
villager  insisted  that  through  these  they  do  worship 
the  true  God.     He  was  the  most  complete  ranter  I 

5 


50  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

ever  met,  and  it  required  great  patience  to  get  on 
with  him;  yet  by  talking  to  him  calmly,  in  the  end 
he  became  quiet  and  even  interested  in  what  we 
had  to  say. 

We  passed  from  this  to  Dara,  another  village 
near  by.  Here  I  found  a  man  lying  partly  para- 
lyzed, just  as  I  met  him  two  years  ago  when  I  vis- 
ited this  village.  He  then  seemed  intelligent,  and 
was  attentive  to  what  I  told  him  about  Christ,  and  I 
find  has  not  forgotten  it.  I  rehearsed  how  Jesus 
died  to  save  sinners.  He  was  attentive,  and  only  He 
who  knows  all  hearts  understands  the  impression 
made  on  that  poor  paralytic's  heart.  It  is  a  com- 
forting thought  to  the  missionary  that  perhaps  many 
heathen  souls  hear  the  word  in  sincerity,  and  from 
the  force  of  surroundings  never  connect  themselves 
with  the  Church,  yet  in  the  last  hour,  and  even  be- 
fore, turn  trustingly  to  Christ.  The  antipodes  of  the 
paralytic  was  a  silly  garrulous  fellow,  who,  with 
swelling  braggadocio,  affirmed  that  he  did  not  want 
Christ's  salvation.  He  preferred,  he  said,  his  own  re- 
ligion with  hell  to  making  any  change.  How  could 
he  leave  the  time-honored  paths  of  his  fathers  and  eat 
all  kinds  of  stuff  with  Christians?  The  import  of 
hell  was  laid  before  him,  that  he  might  comprehend 
what  he  was  braving  with  such  paraded  daring,  in 
standing  by  the  old  paths  of  his  fathers.  He  was 
informed,  too,  that  being  a  Christian  does  not  entail 
the  duty  of  eating  all  conceivable  kinds  of  food,  al- 
though "meats  defile  not  a  man."  He  became  in 
the  end  more  reasonable  and  thoughtful.  It  was 
night  when  we  returned  to  camp.      I  had  preached  in 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  5  I 

four  villages  during  the  day.  Constantly  reiterating 
the  same  simple  truths,  and  answering  the  same  silly 
objections,  becomes  a  great  weariness  at  times. 

December  20. — At  dawn  of  day,  a  concert  of 
birds  aroused  me  from  my  morning  slumber.  I 
remembered  that  two  years  ago,  when  encamped 
under  these  trees,  the  hearty  whistling  and  chirping 
of  numerous  birds  overhead  had  waked  me  with  the 
peep  of  day.  This  grove  seems  to  be  a  congenial 
retreat  for  these  children  of  the  air.  The  mina 
chirped  away  most  lustily  of  all.  It  is  a  bird  in 
size  and  appearance  somewhat  like  the  American 
robin,  and  is  a  cheery,  familiar  little  fellow,  always 
found  about  the  fields,  in  the  garden,  and  hopping 
and  chattering  about  the  door.  One  variety  learns 
to  talk  with  more  facility  than  the  parrot. 

I  was  soon  out  in  the  fresh  morning  air  and 
among  the  birds.  The  old  fakeer  to  whom  they  are 
indebted  for  their  happy,  quiet  home,  was  busy 
looking  after  his  cows.  I  gave  my  salam  (peace,  a 
word  of  salutation),  and  looked  into  his  quarters. 
He  is  much  more  mindful  of  his  cows  than  of  him- 
self, for  he  has  turned  out  and  sleeps  under  a  small, 
half-rotten  grass  roof  by  the  door,  while  the  cows 
occupy  the  comfortable  little  house.  The  unappreci- 
ating  kine  ruminated  with  an  air  of  comfort,  thought- 
less enough  of  the  self-sacrifice  which  their  old  friend 
was  making  for  them. 

*'Why  do  you  live  this  way,  old  man?"  said  I. 

*'0,  to  take  care  of  these  trees." 

"Do  you  expect  salvation  from  this?" 

"No." 


52  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

"How  do  you  expect  to  obtain  salvation,  any 
how?" 

**0,  I  don't  trouble  myself  about  that;  but  I 
suppose,  just  as  my  actions  deserve,  my  case  will  be 
dealt  with." 

This  led  to  a  short  talk  on  the  worthlessness 
of  human  acts  or  words  as  a  source  of  salvation. 
Meanwhile  some  neighbors  of  the  old  man  had  come 
up,  one  of  whom,  looking  forlorn  enough,  affirmed, 
in  a  tone  challenging  sympathy,  that  he  was  but  the 
wreck  of  his  former  self  It  was  the  old  story  of 
lands  devoured  by  the  greedy,  cunning  hinyas  (mer- 
chants). He  had  heard  of  Narain  Sing,  the  new 
convert,  and  was  satisfied,  he  said,  that  he  had  taken 
a  wise  course,  having  thought  over  and  studied  the 
subject  well. 

Went  with  James  to  Bela,  where  we  talked  to 
the  people  last  evening.  As  a  number  of  villagers 
collected,  some  one  recognized  James  as  having 
passed  that  way  with  a  cart  which  had  stuck  fast  in 
the  mud.  Some  of  them  had  laid  to  a  helping  hand 
and  aided  in  getting  the  cart  out.  Turning  the  inci- 
dent into  an  illustration,  said  I, 

''When  a  cart  sticks  fast  in  the  mud,  what  does 
it  need?" 

''Some  one  to  help  it  out." 

"Now,  you  helped  the  teacher's  cart  out  in  that 
difficulty,  and  we  have  come  to  help  you  in  turn." 

"In  what  way?"  promptly  asked  a  half-dozen 
voices. 

"Your  soul  is  fast  in  the  mud  of  sin,  and  you 
need  a  strong  arm  to.  help  you  or  you  will  never  get 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  53 

out.     Are  you   able  to   get   out  of  the  mud   of  sin 
yourself?" 

''No." 

''Well,  we  can't  lift  you  out,  but  we  know  of 
One  who  can.  Jesus  Christ  has  lifted  thousands  out 
of  this  mud  and  filth  of  sin,  and  he  is  ready  to  help 
you  too." 

' '  O,  Ram  and  Krishan  and  our  other  incarnations 
will  help  us.     We  don't  need  Christ." 

"But  Ram  and  Krishan  and  all  your  incarnations 
are  themselves,  as  you  can  see,  in  the  mud  of  sin, 
and  as  helpless  as  you." 

They  were  then  showed  the  vileness  of  their 
hearts  and  their  helplessness  in  sin.  Christ  was  set 
forth  as  "mighty  to  save." 

One  tent  had  been  sent  forward  in  the  night,  to 
be  ready  at  a  place  twenty  miles  distant.  The  re- 
maining tent  was  struck,  and  we  pushed  on,  crossing 
the  Ramgunga  on  a  bridge  of  boats.  Once  over  the 
river  and  clear  of  the  sands  that  skirt  in  such  abun- 
dance all  Indian  rivers,  ten  miles  of  the  march  were 
soon  passed,  and  we  pulled  up  in  a  delightful,  seques- 
tered grove  of  mango-trees,  begirt  with  clumps  of 
tall  bamboos  that  lifted  their  long,  feathery  branches 
in  a  high,  close  screen  nearly  all  around  the  grove, 
making  a  pleasant,  shady  retreat  for  a  midday  rest. 
The  village  watchman  brought  us  seats,  while  Elma 
and  Alice  ran  about,  happy  as  the  birds  that  war- 
bled among  the  leaves  above  us.  A  withered  old 
woman,  from  the  village  near  by,  crept  slyly  up  and 
joined  the  children,  smiling  as  she  heard  their  merry 
voices  and  saw  their  happy  faces.     After  an  hour's 


54  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

rest  and  a  lunch,   we   pushed   on,   reaching  camp  at 
sundown. 

One  tent  was  pitched,  but  the  cart  containing  the 
cooking-utensils  and  food  was  sadly  delayed,  and  we 
had  to  make  the  best  of  it  in  getting  something  to 
eat.  That  very  day  I  had  read  in  the  CJiristian  Advo- 
cate an  item  styled,  *' Getting  Dinner  Under  Em- 
barrassment," relating  how  one  of  our  missionary 
secretaries  had  fared  once  upon  a  time.  His  was  a 
laughable  affair,  as  a  naughty  door-fastener  had  so 
incarcerated  him  that  he  Avas  almost  "too  late  for 
the  train."  A  timely  bookman  had  demolished  the 
stubborn,  tricky  lock,  and  the  liberated  secretary 
leaped  into  the  coach  and  started  for  the  cars,  with 
a  hasty  plate  of  dinner  to  be  disposed  of  in  the  most 
convenient  way  available.  I  laughed  when  reading 
this,  and  thought,  when  dining  that  evening,  that 
the  missionary  secretary  would  have  laughed  in  turn 
had  he  seen  the  "dinner  under  embarrassment"  of 
missionaries.  This  dinner  was  simply  a  chicken  and 
some  potatoes  stewed  in  a  pot,  the  only  cooking- 
vessel  at  hand.  Our  table  was  all  the  way  from 
New  York,  and  consisted  of  the  narrow  top  of  a 
pine  box  now  used  as  a  camp-trunk.  Our  "snowy 
cloth"  was  a  large  hand-towel,  whose  snow  had 
melted  away  in  several  successful  efforts  to  remove 
the  "dust  of  travel."  Two  rude  pot-lids  were  our 
plates,  a  huge  jack-knife  cut  a  fortunate  loaf  that  we 
had  along  with  us,  while  Dame  Nature  furnished 
other  knives  and  forks.  The  children  thought  it 
was  fun  and  laughed,  and  I  fancy  our  swarthy  cook 
laughed,    too,    when    he    thought    of    our    unskillful 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  55 

attempt  at  fingering  our  food  in  true  native  style. 
Of  chairs  we  had  none,  and  we  took  our  position  as 
we  best  could  around  the  aforesaid  table.  A  small 
earthen  dish,  holding  a  little  oil,  into  which  was 
placed  a  shred  of  cotton  tent-rope  for  wick,  cast 
a  merry  light  on  the  scene.  ''Hunger  is  the  best 
sauce,"  and  a  more  savory  dinner  I  never  enjoyed. 
In  itinerating  about  the  country,  we  often  have  to 
take  dinner  "under  embarrassment." 

Our  tent  was  pitched  at  a  village  called  Khair- 
poor  (city  of  prosperity),  and  after  dinner  I  took  a 
lantern,  and,  with  a  villager  to  point  out  the  way, 
went  to  the  chaupal.  A  number  of  Mohammedans 
gathered  In  and  gave  good  attention  to  what  I  had 
to  say.  As  a  general  rule,  Mohammedans  are  more 
enlightened  in  their  ideas  of  God  and  religious  truth 
than  Hindus.  For  all  this  they  are  indebted  solely, 
in  reality,  to  the  Jewish  and  Christian  Scriptures,  as 
there  is  hardly  one  original  truth  in  the  Koran.  The 
Mohammedans  are  slow  to  see  the  poverty  of  their 
pretended  revelation  when  stripped  of  what  it  has 
drawn  from  Jew  and  Christian.  The  measure  of 
truth  there  is  in  Mohammedanism  makes  It  all  the 
more  plausible  as  a  religious  system,  demanding 
a  very  different  treatment  from  Hinduism.  The 
Mohammedans  profess  great  abhorrence  of  the  idol- 
atrous religion  of  the  Hindus,  but  seem  never  to 
reflect  that  in  moral  character  they  are  not  a  whit 
better  than  Hindus  —  nor  even  as  good.  After  a 
half-hour's  friendly  talk,  I  returned  to  the  tent. 

December    21.  — Had    a    miserable    night's    rest. 
Constantinople   can  not  be  more  populous   of  dogs 


56  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

than  this  village  seems  to  be.  All  night  long  they 
kept  barking  and  howling  and  yelping,  to  our  com- 
plete discomfort.  Several  intruders  came  prowling 
into  camp,  and  even  entered  our  tent.  The  sly,  pil- 
fering habit  of  these  dogs  is  surprising.  Old  Paul 
declares  that  they  muffle  their  feet  in  some  way,  so 
noiselessly  do  they  move  about  the  premises  and 
into  the  tents.  For  a  camping-ground,  give  me  the 
fakeer's  grove  which  we  left  y ester-morning,  with  its 
shady  retreat  and  chorus  of  birds. 

Before  breakfast,  I  went  to  the  village  school  and 
examined  the  boys  in  arithmetic  and  geography. 
The  teacher  is  anxious  for  promotion,  and  tried  to 
make  a  good  display  of  his  pupils;  but  it  was  not 
in  them,  and  I  had  to  tell  him  that  they  were  not 
studying  well.  The  only  inducement  that  at  all 
prompts  these  teachers  to  application  and  effort  is 
the  hope  of  increased  pay.  When  done  with  the 
examination,  I  talked  first  to  the  boys,  and  then  to 
the  men  who  had  come  in,  about  the  salvation  of 
their  souls.  I  tried  to  impress  them  with  the  impor- 
tance of  the  best  of  all  knowledge — knowing  the  will 
of  God  and  the  w^ay  to  heaven.  I  tried  to  explain 
to  them  the  Gospel  way.  Some  of  the  men  urged 
the  sufficiency  of  the  Koran  for  them.  They  were 
requested  to  examine  its  claims  more  closely;  but, 
with  a  Moslem,  here  is  the  difficulty — to  examine  is 
to  doubt  and  become  an  infidel.  I  left  these  blind 
followers  of  the  false  prophet,  and  returned  to  camp 
for  breakfast. 

Breakfast  over,  we  pushed  on  toward  Shajehan- 
pore,  our  destination,  stopping  by  the  way  at  a  large 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  57 

town  called  Tilher.  Here  a  native  helper  is  sta- 
tioned, who  seems  to  be  doing  a  faithful  work  in 
preaching  to  his  fellow-countrymen.  I  have  passed 
through  this  place  a  number  of  times,  and  preached 
in  the  main  street.  Generally  the  hearers  have  been 
noisy  and  quarrelsome,  but  to-day  they  listened  well. 
The  helper  who  lives  here  is  a  quiet  and  amiable 
man,  and  he  seems  to  have  made  a  good  impression 
on  the  people.  All  heard  respectfully,  and  even 
with  assent  to  much  of  what  I  said.  In  almost 
every  village,  when  preaching  is  established,  at  first 
the  people  hear  impatiently  and  with  much  opposi- 
tion. Gradually  the  reasonableness  and  truth  of  the 
Gospel  overcome  their  prejudices,  until  crowds  listen 
with  attention,  and  even  assent.  Thus  the  leaven  of 
the  truth  spreads,  and  the  way  is  prepared  for  an 
open  profession  of  it. 

We  left  the  helper,  and  pushed  on  the  remaining 
twelve  miles  of  our  drive  to  Shajehanpore.  The 
brethren  there  had  sent  out  an  extra  horse,  so  that, 
Avith  a  good,  smooth  stone  road,  we  soon  reached 
the  mission-house,  and  received  such  a  welcome  as 
only  missionaries  separated  for  months  can  give. 
Shajehanpore  is  the  seat  of  our  boys'  orphanage, 
and  it  is  specially  to  visit  and  examine  it  that  this 
trip  has  been  made,  with  preaching  by  the  way. 


58  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


III. 

CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE. 

FEBRUARY  12,  1868.— Having  planned  a  short 
tour  In  the  villages  near  Budaon,  camp  equipage 
was  sent  forward  a  day  beforehand.  Two  of  the  na- 
tive helpers,  old  Paul  and  Abraham,  the  converted 
Jew,  also  went  out  yesterday.  The  village  of  Lukem- 
pore,  where  our  camp  was  sent,  is  about  four  miles 
from  Budaon.  We  started  at  four  P.  M.,  hoping  to 
find  all  in  order  and  hold  meeting  in  the  camp  vil- 
lage at  sunset.  A  drive  of  a  little  more  than  three 
miles,  over  a  good,  smooth  stone  road,  brought  us 
to  the  edge  of  a  thick  jungle,  beyond  which  camp 
had  been  ordered.  I  sent  the  buggy  around,  while 
we  got  down  with  our  two  little  girls,  Elma  and 
Alice,  for  a  walk  across  the  jungle.  They  were  wild 
with  delight  as  they  ran  plucking  flowers  and  leaves. 
In  this  country  children  who  often  languish  and  are 
feeble  in  the  house,  generally  get  robust  and  rosy  after 
a  time  in  camp.  Their  gambols  in  the  mellow  sun- 
light of  the  groves  act  like  a  charm.  Houses  in  this 
country,  on  account  of  the  climate,  are  built  with 
great,  massive  walls,  and  are  apt  to  be  wanting  in 
light  and  ventilation.  The  open  air  and  sunlight  of 
camp  is  a  blessed  change  to  all,  but  specially  to  the 
more   tender   constitution   of  children.      Observation 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  59 

in  this  country  has  impressed  me  very  much  with 
the  hygienic  importance  of  sunligJit.  The  half  mile 
of  jungle  through  which  we  walked  is  famous  as  a 
Ziarat,  or  place  of  local  pilgrimage.  All  over  the 
country  are  to  be  found  old  brick  built  tombs,  of  so 
called  **  Mohammedan  saints."  There  is  supposed 
merit  in  visiting  and  praying  near  these.  In  the 
center  of  this  jungle  stands  such  a  tomb  on  the  edge 
of  a  small  lake,  falling  into  ruins.  Were  it  not  for 
the  tomb  the  jungle  would  be  cleared  away  and  the 
ground  put  to  a  better  use.  Arrived  at  camp,  where 
the  servants  had  been  for  more  than  a  day,  and  yet 
they  were  just  pitching  the  tents ;  half  the  tent  stakes 
had  been  stolen  and  some  of  the  ropes.  A  full  hour 
after  dark,  a  little  unsavory  dinner  was  brought;  but 
meeting  in  the  village  was  put  out  of  the  question. 
It  sometimes  reaches  us  in  this  country,  that  friends 
at  home  feel  a  fault-finding  wonder  as  to  what  need 
we  have  of  so  many  servants.  Would  that  our  home 
friends  in  the  sympathy  they  wish  to  extend  toward 
us  w^ould  feel  for  us  in  our  ''tiials  of  servants.  Not 
a  missionary  but  gladly  keeps  their  number  at  the 
low^est  point  consistent  with  health  and  usefulness 
here.      But  we  are  on  the  field  for  to-morrow. 

Thiu'sday,  13. — In  the  morning,  sent  Abraham 
on  the  pony  to  visit  Gularea,  a  village  about  three 
miles  distant  from  camp.  We  keep  one  pony  for 
the  use  of  the  helpers  in  going  to  the  villages  more 
distant  from  camp.  Took  Paul  with  me  to  Lukem- 
pore,  near  which  our  tents  are  pitched.  A  tim.id  in- 
quirer of  the  Nicodemus  kind  lives  here.  His  name, 
Ajeet  Sing  (unconquerable  lion),  does  not  strike  me 


60  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

as  very  appropriate;  for  although  he  is  the  head 
man  of  the  village,  and  should  be  able  to  do  almost 
as  he  pleases  without  fear,  yet  he  has  been  quite 
turned  back  by  his  villagers,  so  that,  for  a  long  time, 
he  has  not  come  near  the  mission  house.  Foremost 
in  this  work  of  turning  Ajeet  Sing  from  the  way  are 
the  women  of  the  village,  two  of  whom  are  his  wives. 
These  village  women  at  one  time  followed  him  with 
entreaties  and  tears,  when  he  set  out  to  visit  the  mis- 
sion house,  beseeching  him  not  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian, and  threatening  all  sorts  of  calamities  if  he  did. 
Recently  when  some  of  the  native  preachers  came 
to  his  village  the  women  hooted  them  and  gave 
them  abuse.  As  a  result  of  their  greater  ignorance 
and  superstition,  generally  the  women  of  this  coun- 
try are  the  greatest  enemies  to  our  work.  They  are, 
from  the  customs  of  the  country,  less  accessible  to 
any  enlightening  influence,  and  they  use  all  their 
ignorance  and  superstition  against  us.  They  often 
threaten  death  to  themselves  or  their  husbands,  if 
the  latter  become  Christians.  So  far  they  seem  to 
have  over-awed  this  man. 

When  we  reached  the  village,  I  rang  a  small  gong 
recently  purchased,  as  an  experiment  in  calling  the 
villagers  together.  Soon  a  small  crowd  came  up, 
and  I  offered  to  build  a  fire  at  my  own  expense  for 
them  to  warm  themselves  at.  Ajeet  Sing  repelled 
this  as  a  reflection  on  his  generosity.  I  had  ordered 
a  few  cents'  worth  of  fuel,  but  he  sent  it  away  and 
made  his  own  fire.  Old  Paul  opened  our  religious 
talk  by  presenting  an  illustration  to  show  the  worth- 
lessness  of  Hinduism.      He  told  a  story  of  a  foolish 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  6l 

man  who  made  his  wife  beat  chaff  for  a  long  time  in 
hope  of  getting  wheat  out  of  it.  The  woman  raised 
bhsters  on  her  hands,  but  no  wheat  came.  You  are 
all  beating  chaff,  said  the  old  man,  by  way  of  appli- 
cation. You  will  only  damage  yourselves  but  receive 
no  good.  It  is  striking  how  fond  these  Eastern  races 
are  of  parables  and  illustrations.  At  one  point  in 
the  old  man's  talk  he  was  interrupted  by  some  one 
who  urged  the  doctrine  of  transmigration,  so  wide- 
spread among  the  people  of  Asia.  To  this,  too,  the 
old  man  replied  by  another  illustration,  pointing  to 
a  tree  growing  by.  "When  the  leaves,"  said  he, 
''are  separated  from  the  tree  and  fall,  they  never  re- 
turn and  become  joined  to  the  tree."  He  had  not 
knowledge  enough  of  a  simple  fact  in  nature  to  spoil 
his  illustration,  nor  the  villagers  to  retort  it  on  him  ; 
for  the  leaves  are  making  an  endless  transmigration. 
Still  the  illustration  perfectly  answered  its  end.  I 
then  took  up  the  conversation,  and  urged  the  hearers 
to  abandon  a  religion  which  could  do  them  no  good. 
It  was  objected  that  if  they  should  abandon  their 
gods  and  demons  they  would  injure  if  not  kill  them. 

**But  why  do  they  not  kill  us?  for  we  are  trying 
to  overthrow  them.  Why  do  they  not  show  their 
power  against  us?" 

"They  have  no  power  over  rulers." 

"What  kind  of  gods  are  they  who  are  weaker 
than  men?" 

"They  are  such  as  they  are.  They  can  not  hurt 
you,  but  would  make  us  sick,  damage  our  crops,  or 
kill  us  if  we  leave  off  their  worship." 

I  then  told  them  of  the   idolatry  of  the  English 


62  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  other  European  people  in  former  days,  and  how 
that  when  the  gods  Thor,  Odin,  Freya,  and  hosts  of 
others  were  abandoned,  they  were  powerless  to  do 
evil  to  those  who  had  discarded  them.  Hindus  were 
pointed  out  who  had  become  Christians  while  no  ca- 
lamity had  befallen  them  yet.  Generally  a  kind  talk 
of  this  sort  carries,  for  the  time,  some  apparent  con- 
viction. But  how  soon  the  demons  return  to  their 
swept  and  garnished  houses! 

In  the  afternoon,  Abraham  went  off  on  foot  to  a 
village  two  miles  away,  while  Paul  went  with  me  to 
Kurawle,  about  the  same  distance  from  camp.  Our 
road  led  us  across  large  open  fields  of  dal  (a  kind 
of  pulse),  which,  bright  with  yellow  blossoms,  stood 
up  to  the  horse's  back  and  swept  the  wheels  as  we 
drove  along.  There  are  very  rarely  any  fences  in 
India.  Every  animal  when  grazing  has  some  one 
watching  it,  and  thus  the  growing  crops  are  pre- 
served. The  highways  and  byways  lie  along  through 
the  grain  fields  and  groves,  yet  the  vigilance  of  the 
herdsmen,  and  those  who  watch  the  crops,  keep  all 
in  order.  We  passed,  by  a  narrow  avenue,  through 
a  jungle  of  low  trees,  with  broad,  stiff  leaves.  Paul 
tells  me  this  wood  keeps  green  a  hundred  years 
in  water.  As  we  enter  the  village  a  group  of  women, 
with  waterpots  on  their  heads,  meet  us,  and  each  one 
pulls  her  shawl  or  head-covering  over  her  face  after 
the  custom  of  her  sex.  Poor  creatures!  thus  they 
seem  to  veil  their  hearts,  too,  from  the  truth,  and  are 
reached  with  much  greater  difficulty  than  the  men. 
Kurawle  is  rather  a  pretty  village,  begirt  with  groves 
of  mango  and  palm.     A  long,  narrow  pond  sweeps 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  63 

nearly  one-third  around  it,  and  is  now  covered  with 
a  small  reddish  water  fern,  so  close  that  the  villagers 
say  their  cows  can  not  drink.  These  ponds  are  an 
accompaniment  of  every  village,  being  excavated  for 
the  mud  with  which  the  houses  are  built.  During  the 
rainy  season  the  ponds  fill  with  water  which  may  last 
all  the  year.  In  this  they  bathe  and  wash  their 
clothes,  while  it  serves  also  for  drinking  and  cooking 
purposes.  If  large,  the  adjacent  fields  are  also  irri- 
gated from  it.  These  ponds,  becoming  more  or  less 
stagnant,  are  the  source  of  malarious  fevers. 

When  we  entered  the  village  a  score  of  men  soon 
assembled.  As  usual  a  number  of  children,  with  the 
irrepressible  curiosity  of  childhood,  gathered  about 
us.  Children  the  world  over  are-  just  the  same,  how- 
ever widely  different,  customs  and  religions  may  have 
made  older  heads.  These  dark-skinned  little  urchins, 
I  could  but  mark,  cry  and  quarrel  just  the  same, 
stare,  and  peep,  and  cling  to  paternal  hands  just  the 
same,  and  in  all  their  little  turns  and  pranks,  and 
childish  prattle  and  pouting,  act  just  the  same  as  the 
little  ones  of  Saxon  blood  I  have  left  at  my  tent. 
But  the  systems  that  Satan  and  men  have  invented 
greatiy  change  the  human  mind  as  it  takes  on  years. 
This  we  often  find  to  our  discouragement. 

Our  hearers  in  this  village  did  not  oppose  our 
message,  but  received  it  in  a  very  flippant  spirit,  at 
one  time  telling  us  that  they  are  Christians,  and  again 
that  they  would  be  soon.  Some  were  for  coming 
over  at  once,  if  we  would  give  them  land.  This  is 
an  old  proposition,  sometimes  made  in  earnest,  and 
sometimes   just    to    put    us    off     As    we   left,   Paul 


64  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

remarked,  that  these  villagers  are  yet  far  away — mean- 
ing,   "from  the  kingdom." 

At  sundown  we  held  a  meeting  in  the  chaupal  of 
the  village  near  which  we  were  encamped.  James, 
another  helper  left  behind  at  Budaon,  has  joined  us, 
so  we  are  all  now  **in  the  field."  The  gong  was 
sounded  to  call  the  villagers  together,  and  while  they 
were  coming  up  I  ate  a  little  native  sugar,  brought 
me  from  a  small  factory  near  by.  At  this  season 
of  the  year,  sugar  boiling  is  going  on.  The  juice  of 
the  cane  is  pressed  out,  and  then  boiled  down  in  large 
flat  vessels.  It  is  not  reduced  to  a  loose  grained 
sugar,  but  remains  in  a  heavy,  semi-glutinous  mass. 
Eaten  fresh,  it  is  not  a  bad  sweetmeat. 

When  our  congregation  was  assembled  James 
read  the  first  few  verses  of  Matthew,  fifth  chapter, 
and  explained  it  at  large  to  the  crowd.  All  listened 
attentively  for  some  time,  but  at  last  some  one  raised 
the  common  objection,  that  if  they  became  Chris- 
tians they  will  all  have  to  eat  the  same  kind  of  food. 
This  called  out  the  oft-repeated  explanation,  that  eat- 
ing and  drinking  may  be  the  Hindus'  religion,  but  is 
not  the  Christians,'  and  that  when  any  one  becomes 
a  Christian,  his  religion  is  not  a  question  of  eating 
and  drinking.  Another  put  in  the  objection  that  if 
they  become  Christians  they  must  all  become  one 
caste,  to  which  it  was  replied  that  in  reality  they  are 
but  one  caste  now — that  the  flesh  and  blood  and 
bones  and  humanity  of  all  are  alike.  But  caste  was 
still  urged,  and  its  reality  stupidly  illustrated  by  the 
variety  among  trees;  the  application  of  which  was, 
that   thus    God   has   also   made   a  variety   of  castes 


A  CAMPING  TRIP  TO  SHAJEHANPORE.  6$ 

among  men.  The  weakness  of  the  illustration  was 
pointed  out,  and  it  was  in  turn  retorted  on  them  by 
showing  that  among  trees  there  is  an  actual  differ- 
ence, separating  the  trees  so  that  they  can  not  be 
united,  while  all  men  possess  the  same  members  and 
faculties  and  wants,  and  may  cross  and  intercross 
interminably. 

This  point  silenced,  some  one  self-complacently 
put  in,  that,  at  any  rate,  if  he  was  going  to  hell,  he  was 
satisfied  with  his  hell.  This  is  not  an  uncommon  shift 
with  the  Hindus  when  all  their  silly  objections  have 
been  calmly  and  fairly  met.  We  simply,  in  a  pitying 
way,  replied  to  this  fellow  by  telling  the  crowd  that 
he  did  not  know  the  force  of  his  own  words.  The 
character  of  hell  was  explained  to  them,  and  its  pun- 
ishment, as  hinted  at  in  the  Gospel,  portrayed.  The 
fellow  who  was  braving  hell  grew  silent,  while  a 
general  voice  came  up  that  * '  we  will  learn  what  your 
religion  is." 

Abraham  reported  that  he  had  many  hearers  in 
the  morning  at  Gularia,  but  could  not  find  the  vil- 
lage for  which  he  had  started  in  the  evening,  so 
** turned  aside  into  another  little  one,"  where  he  had 
some  quiet  hearers. 

February  14. — Early  in  the  morning  sent  James 
to  Gularia,  a  village  three  miles  distant,  and  Paul  to 
negotiate  an  interview  for  Mrs.  Scott  with  the  women 
of  Lukempore.  An  effort  is  needed  to  conciliate 
them  in  some  way,  in  order  that  Ajeet  Sing  may 
not  be  altogether  hindered,  and  perhaps  an  opening 
hedged  up  in  this  village. 

I  took  Abraham  with  me  to  Sobanpore,  two  miles 
6 


66  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

distant.  Thus,  morning  and  evening,  we  distribute 
our  little  force  for  a  sally  among  the  villages,  trying 
to  reach  all  within  a  radius  of  three  or  four  miles. 

This  is  the  most  favorable  season  for  "itinerat- 
ing," as  we  call  it.  Now  that  the  cold  weather  crops 
are  approaching  the  ripening  season,  there  is  not 
much  field  work,  and  the  villagers  can  be  found  at 
home.  At  some  seasons  many  of  them  remain 
nearly   all   the   time   in   the   fields. 

As  we  pushed  along  on  foot  I  observed  that  our 
converted  Israelitish  friend,  Abraham,  limped,  and  on 
asking  the  cause,  he  related  that  once,  when  taking  a 
camel  caravan  through  Afghanistan  to  the  Russian 
frontier  on  a  trading  expedition,  they  were  attacked 
and  robbed  by  a  band  of  freebooters.  In  the  skir- 
mish he  got  a  ball  through  his  leg,  which  causes 
lameness  yet. 

Sobanpore  is  a  chumar  village.  Chumar  means 
a  shoemaker  or  leather  dresser.  But  it  must  not  be 
supposed  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  this  village  make 
shoes  or  dress  leather.  Far  from  it.  The  Chumars 
are  a  caste,  and  a  very  low  one  too.  They  eat  the 
flesh  of  animals  that  have  "died  of  themselves," 
and  are  shunned  as  very  low  by  the  higher  castes. 
They  are  a  very  numerous  caste,  in  some  places  oc- 
cupying entire  villages,  as  the  one  we  visited  to-day. 
They  are  largely  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  are  not 
wanting  in  hard-working  industry.  We  found  that 
old  Paul  had  often  been  at  this  village,  and  the  peo- 
ple carry  a  lively  recollection  of  him  and  his  preach- 
ing. I  opened  our  message  to  them  and  asked  them 
to  believe  on  Christ,  telling  them  that  many  of  their 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  6/ 

people  in  various  places  had  become  Christians. 
Some  one  put. in,  "We  are  Christians  now,  for  we 
can  eat  what  we  please."  We  were  not  at  all  flat- 
tered by  their  appreciation  of  Christian  privileges, 
and  tried  to  show  them  that  eating  the  flesh  of  ani- 
mals not  butchered  in  the  usual  way  might  be  econ- 
omy but  did  not  constitute  them  Christians. 

These  low  castes  are  always  more  accessible  than 
others,  but  it  is  a  gi'ave  question  with  missionaries  as 
to  what  proportion  of  effort  should  be  bestowed  on 
them  compared  with  other  castes.  When  they  be- 
come Christians,  on  account  of  caste  prejudice,  they 
stand  more  or  less  in  the  way  of  the  higher  castes. 
So  far  our  missionaries  have  worked  away  irrespect- 
ive of  caste,  wherever  the  way  seems  to  open. 

In  the  conversation  on  the  sin  of  lying,  a  man 
made  the  frank  confession  that  all  lie  daily  and  con- 
tinually, to  which  nearly  all  assented.  Christ  was 
held  up  as  a  Savior  from  falsehood  and  all  sin.  A 
fakeer  in  the  crowd  then  took  occasion  to  bring  up 
his  theory  that  the  preservation  and  fostering  of  ani- 
mal life  is  the  grand  means  of  eradicating  sin  from 
the  heart.  Of  course,  this  led  the  way  to  an  eflbrt 
to  explode  his  theory  (a  not  uncommon  one),  while 
Christ  was  further  presented  as  our  Savior  from  sin. 
However,  he  helped  to  confirm  me  in  a  growing 
conviction  that  missionaries  in  this  country  have  but 
little  business  with  a  gun  and  hunting  propensities. 
Five  years  ago  I  did  not  see  this  so  clearly,  but 
used  somewhat  freely  a  double-barreled  shot-gun 
brought  out  from  Boston,  my  last  personal  purchase 
in  America.      Wild  peafowls,  pigeons,  geese,  ducks, 


68  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  wild  pigs  were  considerably  annoyed  by  that 
gun,  and  often  lost  their  lives — in  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions, to  be  sure.  I  was  tongue-tied  in  those  days, 
and  could  do  but  little  among  the  villages.  Since 
getting  a  Hindustani  tongue,  and  learning  more  of 
the  likes  and  dislikes  of  the  people,  that  Boston 
gun,  crippled  by  the  blowing  away  of  a  tube  in  an 
attempt  to  shoot  an  impudent  monkey  that  had  per- 
sisted in  leading  his  devastating  gang  into  the  mis- 
sion garden,  stands  silent  and  rusted  in  a  corner. 
With  Pauline  propriety,  a  missionary  must  be  all 
things  to  all  men. 

Upon  the  whole,  our  morning  visit  to  this  village 
was  an  encouraging  one.  A  native  suggested,  as  we 
left,  that  we  select  one  of  their  number  and  instruct 
him  thoroughly  in  the  new  way,  that  he  might  teach 
the  rest — then  all  could  join  us.  The  suggestion 
was  a  wise  one,  and  I  appointed  a  man  and  re- 
quested him  to  come  often  to  the  mission-house. 
Time  will  ^  show  what  can  be  done.  We  get  so 
accustomed  to  disappointment  by  the  natives  that 
faith  requires  something  more  than  hearing  for  its 
foundation. 

On  our  return,  we  met  four  men  carrying  Ganges 
water  from  Hurdwar,  to  be  offered  at  some  idol's 
shrine  in  Eastern  Oude,  hundreds  of  miles  from 
where  it  was  obtained.  They  told  us  that  they 
were  carrying  some  to  sell,  also,  when  they  reached 
home,  and  that  they  would  realize  about  twenty- 
seven  cents  a  pound  for  it.  This  is  killing  two  birds 
with  one  stone.  They  have  made  a  famous  pilgrim- 
age and  earned  some  money. 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  69 

At  midday,  took  Mrs.  Scott  to  see  Ajeet  Sing's 
wives,  and  talk  to  the  women  who  might  assemble 
there.  A  white  woman  in  the  village  was  a  great 
show,  and  no  menagerie  elephant,  passing  through  a 
village  in  America,  ever  attracted  more  attention. 
A  motley  group  of  men,  women,  and  children  gaped 
and  gazed  and  followed.  I  had  to  drive  them  away 
several  times  before  the  door  of  Ajeet  Sing's  house 
was  reached.  When  Mrs.  Scott  went  in,  custom 
forbade  the  men  to  follow;  but  a  great  number  of 
the  village  women  gathered  in  to  look  and  listen. 
Meanwhile,  I  sat  down  with  Ajeet  Sing  outside,  and 
had  a  quiet  talk  to  a  few  villagers,  who  listened  with 
a  good  degree  of  reason.  The  natives  always  hear 
better  in  small  crowds,  and  better  still  alone.  In 
large  crowds,  they  often  show  a  great  deal  of  im- 
pudent boldness.  As  Mrs.  Scott  came  away,  the 
same  gauntlet  of  ignorant,  dirty  villagers  was  to  be 
again  run. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  distributed  our  force  thus: 
Paul  went  to  Sobanpore,  Abraham  and  James  to 
Kurawlee,  and  I  set  off  for  a  village  marked  Bud- 
waee  on  my  map.  It  was  a  beautiful,  sunny  after- 
noon. As  I  drove  across  the  plain,  broad  fields  of 
barley  waved  their  bearded  surfaces  of  light  green 
on  one  side,  while  fields  of  wheat  undulated  and 
stretched  away  on  the  other.  The  maturing  crops 
are  beautiful  now.  A  large  brick-made  well  was 
passed  in  one  place,  carried  up  several  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  A  short  flight  of  steps 
was  built  for  the  drawers  of  its  water,  and  the  usual 
accompaniment   of   masonry  troughs   for  cattle   was 


70  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

also  present.  Near  this  well  a  mango  grove  has  re- 
cently been  planted.  It  is  a  common  custom  with 
natives  who  have  no  children  to  make  a  good,  sub- 
stantial well  by  the  road-side  for  the  accommodation 
of  travelers,  and  then,  planting  a  grove  of  mango- 
trees,  marry  the  well  to  the  grove.  This  is  done  for 
religious  merit  and  to  perpetuate  a  name. 

I  found  Budwaee  to  be  a  clean  little  village, 
nestled  away  among  mango  and  neem  trees.  Piles 
of  fuel  and  stacks  of  grass  for  thatching,  collected 
on  the  outskirts,  betokened  the  thrift  and  industry 
of  the  place.  I  drove  up  and  halted  at  a  sugar-cane 
press,  received  the  salain  (greeting)  of  the  workmen, 
and  ate  a  little  sugar  just  turned  out.  The  place  is 
chiefly  occupied  by  Brahmins,  who  are  not  always 
priests,  as  my  geography  of  school-boy  days  led  me 
to  believe.  In  fact,  the  fewest  number  of  Brahmins 
act  as  priests,  and  the  rest  are  obliged  to  work  for 
their  support  as  other  men,  some  as  shop-keepers, 
some  as  cultivators  or  soldiers,  or  almost  any  thing 
but  scavengers  and  shoemakers.  The  Brahmins  of 
this  village  are  cultivators,  and  a  thrifty  set  of  fel- 
lows they  seem  to  be;  but  I  found  them  "far  from 
the  kingdom."  With  perfect  good-humor,  they  gath- 
ered about  me  in  the  chaupal  of  the  village,  heard 
what  I  had  to  say,  and  put  in  their  objections,  which 
were  legion.  One  of  these  objections  was,  that  if 
Christianity  is  what  we  represent  it  to  be,  then 
Christians  are  the  "friends  of  God,"  and  should  be 
able  to  work  miracles.  A  long  story  was  told  of  a 
fakeer,  who,  by  austerity  and  worship,  had  become 
a  friend  of  God,  and  that  he  could  cause  it  to  rain, 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  7 1 

blow,  snow,  and  do  all  kinds  of  wonderful  things. 
Now  they  wanted  to  put  me  to  the  test,  which  was 
politely  declined,  on  the  score  that  they  had  no  right 
to  force  their  own  tests  on  Christianity,  especially 
when  they  refused  first  to  test  it  in  its  own  way. 

Ephraim  seemed  fast  joined  to  his  idols,  and,  as 
the  sun  was  lifting  his  last  rays  from  the  brown 
straw  thatches  of  the  village  huts,  I  drove  away  for 
Lukempore,  where  a  meeting  was  held  at  night.  I 
read  the  first  part  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  Matthew, 
and  explained  as  well  as  I  could  those  sublime 
truths  to  the  boys  and  men  gathered  around.  All 
listened  quietly.  Narain  Sing,  the  recent  convert, 
came  up,  and  the  villagers  were  requested  to  listen 
to  something  from  him.  He  had  not  talked  long 
before  a  dozen  natives  were  attacking  him  with 
objections  and  plying  him  with  questions  at  once. 
He  stood  up  manfully  amid  a  severe  cross-fire  for 
more  than  an  hour,  and  the  enlightenment  and 
power  that  Christianity  has  imparted  to  him  was 
most  striking  —  never  losing  temper  amidst  their 
anger,  ever  prompt  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope 
within  him.  I  wish  some  of  our  refined  skeptics,  as 
Bayard  Taylor,  who  pity  poor,  honest-minded  mis- 
sionaries for  attempting  to  tamper  with  the  grand 
old  religion  of  the  Hindus,  could  have  witnessed  the 
moral  and  mental  superiority  of  a  converted  Hindu 
on  that  evening.  As  we  left,  all  said,  **We  will 
hear  thee  again  of  this  matter." 

February  15. — In  the  morning,  sent  Paul  to  visit 
the  village  of  Rusurea,  and  James  and  Abraham  to 
Mujeea,  while  I  drove  home  to  inspect  some  repairs 


72  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

going  on  at  the  mission  premises,  and  mail  a  half- 
dozen  letters.  After  a  sharp  drive,  was  back  for 
breakfast  at  ten  o'clock. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  set  off  to  visit  a  village 
bazaar  at  Amgaon.  Green  oceans  of  wheat  in  head, 
stretching  away  on  either  side  of  the  narrow  road, 
rolled  and  waved  by  a  fitful  wind  that  anon  sent 
puffs  of  sand  from  the  road  into  our  eyes.  What 
are  called  the  March  winds  already  begin  to  blow, 
and  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  air,  with  the  fine, 
sharp  sand  carried  by  the  winds,  makes  it  a  trying 
time  for  eyes.  Blindness  and  damaged  vision  are 
very  common  infirmities  here.  Some  of  our  mis- 
sionaries are  greatly  afflicted  at  times  from  this 
cause.  One  brother  was  distressed  nearly  all  last 
year  with  his  eyes,  and  has  been  ordered  six  months 
to  the  air  of  the  mountains  for  the  present  year,  that 
he  may  be  saved  to  the  mission.  A  little  dryness 
of  the  eyes,  with  some  pain,  admonishes  that  I  must 
take  more  care  or  have  trouble. 

In  the  village  bazaar,  we  found  a  noisy  crowd 
buying  and  selling  and  cheating,  after  the  manner  of 
all  such  bazaars.  A  village  bazaar  is  one  of  the  in- 
stitutions of  the  country,  kept  up  on  certain  days  in 
the  week  in  the  larger  villages.  It  is  the  country 
market,  where  all  go  to  buy  and  sell.  Vegetables 
and  grain,  with  all  kinds  of  shop  articles  and  trink- 
ets, are  exposed  for  sale  in  some  open  place  in  or 
near  the  village,  and  at  market  hours  hundreds  and 
thousands  crowd  the  place,  which  is  always  noisy 
and  dusty  in  the  extreme.  We  took  our  stand  on 
a   little   hillock  near  the  crowd,   and   certain    ''vain 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  73 

fellows,"  intent  on  mischief,  entered  the  group  that 
had  gathered  about  us,  and  pushed  up  to  the  front 
to  quibble  and  divert  the  listener  from  what  was 
said.  I  told  them  that  we  had  come  on  a  peaceful 
errand,  to  tell  them  things  of  the  greatest  value  to 
them;  but  Satan  would  not  be  put  about  thus,  so 
some  of  these  ''sons  of  Belial"  yelled,  and  did  their 
utmost  to  raise  a  disturbance  and  draw  the  hearers 
away.  I  patiently  kept  on  with  the  word  of  Gospel 
exhortation  till  I  received  a  sharp  rap  on  the  arm  in 
which  I  held  the  New  Testament,  from  a  missile 
hurled  from  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd.  Stopping 
for  a  moment  to  get  the  name  of  the  man  who 
dared  thus  to  break  the  peace,  preaching  was  con- 
tinued. Several  times,  nearly  all  who  were  listening 
were  drawn  away  by  those  who  beset  us;  but  as 
often,  when  let  alone,  they  gathered  around  us  again. 

This  is  a  bad  village.  A  few  months  ago,  old 
Paul  was  dtiven  away  by  a  shower  of  stones,  and, 
as  he  says,  only  escaped  a  severe  pelting  by  put- 
ting spurs  to  his  pony  and  dashing  away.  Atten- 
tion of  the  magistrate  must  be  called  to  such  acts 
of  violence,  or  they  will  grow  into  a  serious  hinder- 
ance  to  us. 

As  we  preached  away,  I  observed  a  woman 
standing  near  by,  at  a  shop,  under  pretense  of  wish- 
ing to  buy  something,  and  listening  for  nearly  an 
hour.  It  is  quite  contrary  to  custom  for  a  woman 
to  stop  in  a  crowd  and  listen  to  us,  so  they  but 
very  rarely  hear  any  thing  that  is  said.  They  catch 
a  word  or  sentence  now  and  then,  as  they  pass 
where  we  are  talking;  and  this  is  all,  unless  a  house 


74  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

or  well  be  near  by — then  they  do  sometimes  get  a 
concealed  hearing.  I  have  often  seen  them  trying 
thus  to  listen,  and  have  always  at  such  times  made 
the  best  of  my  voice  to  reach  them.  It  was  pitiable 
to  see  this  woman,  Vv^ith  her  head-covering  clinched 
tip-ht  in  her  teeth  to  conceal  her  face,  while  she  held 
her  babe  under  a  part  of  the  same  covering,  and 
seemed  intent  on  all  that  was  said. 

From  the  bazaar  we  went  to  the  government  vil- 
lage school,  to  see  how  things  are  going  on  there. 
I  found  about  thirty  very  dirty  little  boys,  sitting  on 
a  mat  of  straw,  more  busy  driving  away  swarms  of 
tormenting  flies  that  kept  attacking  their  filthy  faces 
than  in  any  thing  in  the  way  of  study.  I  shamed 
the  little  fellows  over  their  dirty  faces,  and  told 
them  they  sat  there  scratching  and  striking  at  the 
flies  just  like  the  monkeys  of  the  groves.  Not  un- 
like the  monkeys,  they  grinned  and  slapped  away 
at  the  flies.  A  few  questions  in  geograf)hy  received 
noisy  answers. 

A  number  of  natives  had  meanwhile  followed  us 
and  collected  about  the  school-house,  and  religious 
conversation  was  struck  up  with  them,  Narain  Sing 
leading  the  way.  He  held  up  Christianity  as  a 
means  of  salvation  from  sin.  A  Brahmin  who  was 
present  set  himself  up  for  a  champion  of  his  relig- 
ion, and  at  the  end  of  almost  every  sentence  put  in 
some  objection,  till  at  last  Narain  Sing  (Lion  of  God) 
turned  fully  on  the  fellow  and  brought  all  he  seemed 
to  know  or  had  ever  read  from  controversial  books 
and  tracts  to  bear  on  him  and  his  objection.  He 
was  soon  silenced,  and,  as  the  exposure  of  Hinduism 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  75 

went  on,  he  jerked  himself  in  haughty  silence 
from  the  school-house,  conquered,  but  not  subdued. 
Narain  Sing  then  turned  to  the  others,  and  improved 
on  this  episode  by  saying  that  this  sullen,  stub- 
born unrea'sonableness  is  what  keeps  them  from 
the  blessed  light  and  life  of  the  Gospel.  He  also 
shamed  them  for  the  foolish  stories  they  had  been 
circulating  about  his  having  been  cast  out  to  wander 
and  beg,  in  a  starving  condition.  The  whole  thing 
seemed  to  have  a  good  effect. 

And  thus  the  battle   goes  on;    but  I   have   been 
profoundly  impressed  with  the  deep-rooted  hostility 
of  Hindus  yet.      As  we  see  the  native   passing  and 
repassing  our  homes,  and  meet  them  in  the  ordinary 
intercourse   of   life,    they   seem   tame    and    but    little 
attached  to  their  religion;    but,   when  opposed  in  it 
by  us  as  Christian  teachers,   so   that  we   arouse   the 
full  force  of  their  attachment  and  prejudice,  it  seems 
tremendous,  and  the  breaking  up  of  the  one  and  the 
removal  of  the  other  a  vast  work.     Only  God's  Spirit 
can  be  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  of  these  strong- 
holds.    There  must  be  our  trust.     Sometimes,  after 
preaching  and  talking   and  working   many  days  and 
weeks,  without  apparently  one  encouraging  indication 
among  all   the  villages  visited,   and  among  the  tens 
of  thousands  who  have  been  urged  to  consider  and 
accept  the  claims   of  Christianity,   one's   heart   sinks 
down  weary  and  almost   hopeless.     Vast  mountains 
of  prejudice  and  error  and  superstition  rise,  towering 
so  wide  and  high  that  faith  wavers  and  shrinks.      It 
is  no  easy  thing  for  us  to  walk  and  work  for  months 
entirely  without  sight.      It  is  a  rare  faith  that  can  do 


76  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

this;    and   yet,   ''Who  art  thou,   O  great  mountain? 
Thou  shalt  become  a  plain." 

When  we  reached  camp,  Paul  related  how  he 
had  failed  to  find  the  village  marked  on  the  map, 
and  how  he  had  struck  off  a  few  miles  further  away 
to  Ujhawli,  and  there  found  some  low-caste  people, 
who  heard  the  word  very  gladly.  Although  they 
were  low-caste,  they  certainly  were  more  noble  than 
those  of  the  Thessalonica  where  we  had  been. 

At  night  we  all  resorted  to  the  camp-village  for 
our  usual  evening  meeting.  Narain  Sing,  who  has 
been  the  subject  of  so  many  silly  stories,  was  put 
forward  to  talk  awhile  with  his  countrymen.  All 
listened  patiently  till  he  came  to  the  point  of  urging 
the  acceptance  of  Christianity,  when  an  uproar  of 
objections  began.  As  something  unanswerable,  one 
fellow  took  the  position  that  if  we  would  order  some 
miraculous  thing  to  take  place,  and  it  should  then 
and  there  follow,  he  and  all  would  immediately  em- 
brace our  religion.  The  proposition  was  such  a 
novel  and  startling  one  that  for  the  moment  Narain 
Sing  seemed  confounded;  but  I  stepped  to  the  res- 
cue by  asking, 

*'Do  you  believe  the  sun  ever  shines?" 

''O  yes.     Why  not?" 

"But,  now,  suppose  I  dispute  it,  and  propose 
that  if  you  show  me  the  sun  lying  and  shining  be- 
fore me  on  the  ground  or  in  my  hand,  I  will  believe 
it,  what  would  you  think  of  me?" 

"What  would  I  think  of  you?"  with  confusion. 
""Yes.     Would  this  be  a  reasonable  kind  of  argu- 
ment?    What  right   have   you   or  I   to  set   up  our 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  7/ 

own  arbitrary,  foolish  tests  of  truth,  and  then  say  it 
must  stand  or  fall  by  them?  You  would  ask  me  to 
lift  up  my  eyes  and  behold  the  sun,  as  we  only  ask 
that  men  use  their  understanding  in  a  reasonable 
way  in  testing  Christianity." 

The  fellow  was  checkmated,  and  the  talk  went 
on  quietly  afterward;  but  with  what  difficulty  the 
devils  of  superstition,  idolatry,  and  unbelief  are  cast 
out  of  these  wretched  heathen! 

Sunday  J  February  i6. — This  being  the  Sabbath, 
we  did  not  go  out  for  our  usual  morning  work 
among  the  villages,  but,  at  8  A.  M.,  had  a  quiet 
service  in  one  of  the  tents.  At  12  o'clock,  we  all 
resorted  to  the  chaupal  of  our  camp-village  for  a 
service  there  also.  In  village  preaching,  generally, 
the  Scriptures  are  simply  read  and  expounded,  with- 
out any  singing  or  prayer.  Occasionally  singing  is 
attempted;  but  singing  or  prayer  can  rarely  be  un- 
dertaken in  bazaar  or  village  preaching.  However, 
we  had  announced  on  Saturday  a  ''regular  Christian 
worship,"  and  had  invited  the  villagers  to  be  present 
and  see  how  we  worship  the  true  God.  When  the 
time  arrived,  a  large  number  of  the  natives  assem- 
bled. I  appointed  Narain  Sing  to  read  the  Scrip- 
tures and  pray.  James  was  appointed  a  kind  of 
guard,  to  sit  with  open  eyes  among  the  crowd,  to 
check  any  impropriety  that  might  be  attempted  dur- 
ing prayer.  The  best  of  order  was  observed  through 
all  the  exercises.  The  villagers  pronounced  the  sing- 
ing very  good.  We  sang  native  airs  to  Christian 
tunes.  Our  airs  are  not  appreciated  by  the  natives. 
Hymns  set  to  their  airs  please  them  very  much,  and 


78  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  practice  of  thus  using  their  own  airs  is  increas- 
ing. The  natives  have  music  of  their  own,  and  the 
time  seems  distant  when  they  will  not  prefer  it  to 
ours.  From  childhood,  the  Christians,  too,  hear  it 
in  the  field,  on  the  highway,  and  in  the  numerous 
festivals  of  the  country,  so  that  their  musical  tastes 
are  preoccupied  with  the  airs  of  their  country.  All 
seemed  much  pleased  with  the  services.  A  number 
of  women  collected  near  a  window,  and  listened 
during  nearly  the  whole  time,  which  is  a  very  unu- 
sual thing. 

•  We  determined  to  spend  the  Sabbath  evening  in 
preaching  in  the  surrounding  villages.  James  and 
Paul  were  sent  to  Katra,  while  I  took  Narain  Sing 
with  me  to  visit  Kurawlea,  where  I  went  a  few  days 
before.  Narain  Sing  went  along  particularly  to  re- 
fute in  person  the  stupid,  evil-meant  stories  about 
himself  We  entered  the  village,  ringing  a  bell  to 
call  tl\e  people  together,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  same 
place  where  I  had  before  talked  to  these  villagers. 
This  time  the  zemindar  of  the  village  was  present, 
and  it  seems  the  villagers  do  not  like  him,  be- 
cause they  claim  that  by  fraud  and  falsehood  he 
had  wrested  the  village  from  the  proper  zemindar. 
Once  for  all,  it  may  be  said,  by  way  of  explanation, 
that  practically  all  the  land  belongs  to  the  govern- 
ment. Still,"  in  greater  or  less  portions,  it  stands  in 
the  name  of  persons  called  zemindai's,  who  pay  a 
certain  rate  on  the  land  to  the  government,  to  which 
they  alone  are  responsible  for  the  rent.  They  again 
sub-let  the  land  to  smaller  contractors  or  to  the  cul- 
tivator.    This  zemindar  is  disliked,   because   he  had 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  79 

in  some  way  overreached  and  removed  the  proper 
zemindar.  When  we  found  that  the  people  would 
not  come  to  this  place,  we  went  to  another  point  in 
the  village,  and  soon  had  a  half-hundred  hearers. 
The  two  chief  men  among  them  showed  a  disposi- 
tion to  consider  the  question  of  becoming  Christians, 
but  it  had  a  discouragingly  large  loaf-and-fish  element 
in  it.  I  saw  this  when  here  before.  We  told  them 
of  spiritual  things;  but  they  thought  and  talked  only 
of  carnal  things.  One  of  them,  formerly  the  zemin- 
dar of  the  village,  quietly,  in  a  mouth-and-ear  whis- 
per, asked  Narain  Sing  what  he  stood  a  chance  ^o 
get  if  he  became  a  Christian.  He  seemed  very  much 
surprised  that  Narain  Sing  had  received  nothing  in 
temporal  things.  It  was  formerly  the  Mohammedan 
custom  in  India  to  reward  Hindus  for  embracing  the 
Koran  and  its  creed;  hence,  the  latter  imagine  that 
we  certainly  do  something  of  the  same  kind.  Our 
loaf-and-fish  inquirers  were  much  surprised  to-day, 
when  told  that  I  get  nothing  from  government. 
They  seemed  to  think  that  some  kind  of  money 
speculation  must  be  at  the  bottom  of  this  wandering 
about  the  country.  Some  have  supposed  that  as 
missionaries  we  get  a  certain  sum  for  every  one  that 
becomes  a  Christian,  and  that  this  is  the  stimulus 
under  which  we  work.  Our  interview  and  talk  with 
these  villagers  was  a  little  encouraging  in  one  thing, 
the  evidence  that  here  prejudice  against  Christians  is 
not  so  bitter  as  in  some  cases.  In  some  places,  the 
villagers  tell  us  we  may  do  any  thing  we  like  with 
them — blow  them  from  guns,  as  was  done  with  the 
mutinous   sepoys — but   that  they  never  will   forsake 


So  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

their  religion.  They  even  tell  us  that  they  prefer  it 
and  hell  to  becoming  Christians.  We  left  them  for 
camp,  hoping  that  better  motives  may  yet  prompt 
them  to  come  to  the  Savior. 

James  and  Abraham  reported  that  in  Katra  they 
had  a  very  good  hearing.  The  zemindar  of  this  vil- 
lage is  a  Mohammedan,  and  an  old  acquaintance  of 
mine.  For  nearly  two  years,  he  came  to  the  mis- 
sion-house regularly  as  an  inquirer,  and  also  fre- 
quently attended  religious  service  in  our  chapel;  but 
I  could  never  be  satisfied  that  he  was  sincere,  and 
still  believe  that  he  hoped  to  profit  in  some  worldly 
way  by  my  friendship.  When  I  used  to  ask  him 
why,  if  he  were  sincere,  he  did  not  take  baptism, 
he  would  reply  that  his  wife  refused  to  come  with 
him,  and  that,  as  I  did  not  engage  to  secure  him 
another  wife,  he  could  not  take  the  step.  So  he 
excused  himself,  and  now  says  he  has  given  up  all 
thought  of  becoming  a  Christian.  He  is  a  man  of 
considerable  property,  exceedingly  vain  in  dress,  but 
pleasant  and  affable  in  his  manners.  He  still  visits 
me  in  a  friendly  way. 

At  night,  we  all  assembled  in  the  chaupal  for  the 
usual  evening  meeting.  I  requested  Narain  Sing  to 
open  with  some  kind  of  a  talk,  which  he  did  in  a 
most  intelligent  manner.  The  village  pundit  (relig- 
ious teacher)  could  not  stand  it  to  hear  his  religion 
stultified,  so  came  to  the  rescue,  and  for  a  time  the 
gods  were  bandied  about  in  discussion  in  a  merciless 
manner.  The  gods  fared  badly  at  the  hands  of  a 
man  who  had  been  formerly  their  warm  friend. 
After  a  time,   the   pundit  was  completely  silenced. 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  8 1 

It  was  Hindu  met  Hindu.  I  then  said  a  few  words 
in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  Hindu  books,  stat- 
ing that,  before  they  argue  so  stoutly  from  their 
books,  they  should  inquire  into  their  credibility. 
This  question  settled,  the  character  of  the  argument 
is  determined.  The  "thus  saith  the  book"  is  of  no 
account  if  the  book  is  erroneous  or  false.  Until 
educated,  the  question  of  the  credibility  of  their 
sacred  books  never  seems  to  enter  the  heads  of  the 
Hindus.  The  pundit  then  asked  what  our  book 
teaches  about  the  locality  and  character  of  hell. 
As  a  magnet  for  to-morrow  evening's  meeting,  I 
told  him  to  leave  this  question  for  the  next  meet- 
ing, and  I  would  give  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  in 
relation  to  it. 

Febniaiy  17. — Sent  James  and  Abraham  to  Ma- 
jea,  and  Paul  to  have  a  private  interview  with  Ajeet 
Sing,  and  ascertain  his  real  feelings  and  desires  in 
regard  to  Christianity.  It  is  often  very  difficult  to 
find  out  what  the  natives  think  and  feel  on  this 
question  without  taking  them  alone.  Paul  was  to 
urge  him  forward  in  duty,  and  strengthen  any  good 
purpose  he  might  have.  Mrs,  Scott  and  myself  set 
off  to  Khunak,  Narain  Sing's  village,  that  she  might 
have  a  final  interview  with  his  wife,  and  fully  explain 
to  her  that,  if  she  wished  to  be  Narain  Sing's  wife, 
she  must  now  decide,  as  he  would  delay  with  her  no 
longer.  Since  becoming  a  Christian,  he  put  his  con- 
cubine away,  and  the  lawful  wife,  also,  has  refused 
to  live  with  him.  For  the  relief  of  converts,  where 
an  unbelieving  wife  or  husband  prefers  '*to  depart," 
British  law  now  provides  for  the  divorce  of  such, 


82  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  a  new  marriage  can  be  contracted.  This  was 
the  matter  to  be  laid,  for  a  final  decision,  before 
Narain  Sing's  wife  this  morning.  An  interview  was 
had  with  her  alone,  but  she  utterly  refused  to  remain 
his  wife,  and  now  he  will  take  the  necessary  steps 
for  a  divorce.  It  has  been  a  severe  trial  for  the 
poor  fellow.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  where  he 
has  laid  the  foundation  for  a  little  chapel.  Twenty 
or  more  men  were  erecting  the  building,  not  far  from 
a  "green  tree,"  beneath  which,  but  a  short  time  ago, 
he  worshiped  a  stone,  which  stands  there  still.  The 
temple  of  God  and  the  temple  of  devils  will  thus 
soon  stand  open,  side  by  side,  for  the  worship  of 
these  villagers.  I  took  Narain  Sing's  oldest  son  to 
one  side,  and  earnestly  urged  him  to  join  his  father 
in  his  profession  of  Christianity,  and  showed  him  the 
satisfaction  this  word  would  be  to  him,  as  it  would 
almost  certainly  induce  his  mother  to  yield.  This, 
as  well  as  motives  of  personal  safety,  were  urged 
with  some  little  apparent  impression.  The  boy  said 
he  was  studying  Christianity  —  that  his  father  had 
told  him  it  is  a  spiritual  religion,  and  requires  the 
acceptance  of  the  heart.  He  would  study  and  see. 
Before  leaving  the  village,  I  was  called  to  one 
side  to  look  at  the  eyes  of  the  convert  Ratan's 
mother.  She  has  been  going  blind  for  a  few  years. 
White  patches  are  forming  on  the  cornea,  and  I  told 
them  I  could  do  nothing  for  her.  Medicine  can  be 
made  of  great  use  in  missionary  work.  Every  mis- 
sionary should  prepare  himself  to  administer  at  least 
simple  remedies,  and  keep  medicines  with  him  con- 
stantly.    Good    done   to   the    bodies   of   the   people 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMrORE.  83 

does  much  to  conciliate  them,  and  inchne  them  to- 
Avard  the  missionary  and  his  message.  I  find  quinine 
a  most  useful  article  of  medicine.  Malarious  fevers 
are  very  common  in  the  country,  to  which  quinine 
is  the  great  sovereign  antidote.  The  natives  now 
know  it  by  name,  and,  compared  with  their  reme- 
dies, it  works  wonders.  I  gave  it,  in  this  village,  to 
Narain  Sing's  uncle,  Dharam  Sing  (lion  of  virtue), 
and  he  was  cured  of  a  slow  fever  of  many  months' 
standing,  which  had  made  him  very  feeble.  Since 
his  cure,  he  has  been  unbounded  in  his  praise  of  me 
and  my  medicine.  The  Savior's  miracles  of  healing 
were  not  simple  miracles  in  attestation  of  his  author- 
ity, but  doubtless  intended  to  excite  the  love  and 
attachment  of  the  people.  **  Medical  missions"  are 
becoming  popular  in  many  foreign  fields. 

We  returned  home,  hopeless  of  effecting  a  recon- 
ciliation between  Narain  Sing  and  his  wife;  but  a 
man's  foe  shall  be  those  of  his  own  household. 
During  the  day,  I  had  a  visit  from  the  moulvy 
(Mohammedan  teacher),  who  has  been  a  professed 
inquirer  nearly  two  years.  He  formerly  taught  a 
small  mission  school  in  Narain  Sing's  village;  but, 
Avhen  he  became  a  Christian,  the.  school  was  broken 
up  in  a  religious  panic.  The  moulvy  still  keeps 
m.aking  visits  as  an  inquirer,  and  seems  sincere — 
indeed,  the  most  sincere  inquirer  I  have  ever  met. 
It  seems  much  harder  for  Mohammedans  to  become 
Christian  than  for  Hindus.  To-day  the  moulvy  was 
very  frank,  and  said  that  he  felt  like  a  man  drowning 
in  a  lake,  w4io  did  not  know  for  which  shore  to  swim. 
He  afifirmed,   in  all  apparent  sincerity,   that  he   had 


84  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

lost  a  great  deal  of  his  confidence  in  Mohammed- 
anism, but  that  somehow  he  could  not  altogether 
commit  himself  to  Christianity.  He  asked  me,  with 
a  striking,  anxious  earnestness,  what  a  man  in  his 
condition  was  to  do*  and  what  would  become  of  him 
were  he  to  die.  In  answer  to  his  question  of  what 
would  become  of  a  sincere  doubter  of  his  kind,  I 
said  that  if  he  had  used  all  reasonable  effort  to  reach 
the  truth,  and  were  making  an  earnest,  honest  effort 
to  avoid  sin,  he  might,  if  cut  off  by  death  in  such  a 
condition,  hope  for  God's  mercy.  In  regard  to  over- 
coming doubt,  I  told  him  that,  after  using  all  rea- 
sonable exertion  to  settle  a  question  of  doubt,  it 
becomes  a  man's  duty  to  cast  in  his  lot  where  there 
is  the  greatest  apparent  hope  for  safety.  His  own 
illustration  was  applied,  that,  if  a  man  were  in  dan- 
ger of  drowning,  and  a  number  of  boats  were  near, 
it  would  become  his  duty  to  take  the  one  in  which, 
after  due  consideration,  he  would  be  most  likely  to 
be  safe,  although  he  might  still  have  some  doubt  as 
to  whether  this  be  the  best.  The  point  was  further 
illustrated  by  the  case  of  a  traveler,  in  doubt  about 
two  roads  to  a  certain  city.  After  due  inquiry  and 
effort  to  ascertain  the  proper  road,  he  would  set  out 
on  the  one  which  had  the  most  indications  of  being 
right,  although  he  might  have  some  doubts  and  fears 
as  to  its  being  right  after  all.  The  moulvy  was  then 
urged  to  lay  together  all  the  evidence  he  had  col- 
lected, after  years  of  inquiry,  and  determine,  as  well  as 
he  could,  where  the  weight  of  evidence  seemed  to  lie. 
In  the  evening,  took  old  Paul  with  me  to  Bud- 
waee,  where  I  had  attempted  to  instruct  the  villagers 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  85 

a  few  days  since.  We  found  them  in  no  better 
spirit.  Paul  talked,  and  I  talked,  to  the  score  or 
more  men  who  assembled  to  see  and  hear.  They 
disputed  almost  every  thing  we  had  to  say,  and 
seemed  indisposed  to  receive  any  thing  in  a  kind 
spirit.  Having  talked  myself,  as  I  sat  there  and 
listened  while  old  Paul  exhorted  those  stiffnecked 
villagers,  I  fell  into  sad  reflections  over  their  hard- 
ness of  heart  and  perversity  against  the  truth.  We 
come  to  them  in  all  kindness,  talk  to  them  in  all 
mildness,  even  beseech  them  "by  the  meekness  and 
gentleness  of  Christ,"  and  yet  they  resist  all  with  an 
astonishing  hardness  and  opposition  to  the  truth,  and 
even  tell  us  that  they  prefer  their  own  way  with  hell 
to  becoming  Christian!  O,  climax  of  hardness  and 
imperviousness  to  the  truth!  The  message  of  love 
and  mercy  divine,  for  which  they  are  perishing,  the 
presentation  of  Christ  in  all  his  worth  and  loveliness, 
is  thrust  away  with  a  sneer,  is  replied  to  with  scorn- 
ful sarcasm!  And  how  this  hardness  and  perversity 
seem  heightened,  when  it  is  remembered  that  in 
some  places  this  satanic  opposition  is  kept  up  for 
thirty  years!  How  stolid  the  human  soul  can  be- 
come, how  impenetrable  to  the  light  and  beauty  of 
truth!  But  we  must  sow  away,  even  if  some  seed 
does  fall  on  stony  ground  or  hard  and  beaten  paths. 
Nevertheless,  our  tears  will  one  day  be  dried,  and 
we  will  "reap  in  joy." 

As  we  were  about  to  start  for  camp,  a  Moham- 
medan came  up  and  joined  with  the  Hindus  in  oppo- 
sition to  our  message.  "It  is  a  very  foolish,  wicked 
thing,"  said  he,  "for  men  to  change  their  religion;" 


S6  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  he  ranted  away  on  this  text  for  a  time.  All  this 
was  simply  out  of  jealousy,  and  to  counteract  any 
possible  impression  that  our  words  may  have  made. 
The  Mussulman  hates  the  Hindu  as  a  blasphemous, 
idolatrous  dog,  destined  to  the  lowest  hell.  All  in- 
telligent Mohammedans  will  acknowledge  that  Chris- 
tians, as  not  being  idolaters,  and  as  possessing  a  true 
revelation,  are  nearer  to  themselves  and  infinitely 
better  than  Hindus;  and  yet,  such  is  their  jealousy 
touching  the  progress  of  Christianity  among  Hindus, 
that  they  prefer  to  see  the  Hindu  wallow  and  die  in 
his  idolatry  rather  than  become  a  Christian.  This  im- 
pertinent fellow  was  acting  out  the  real  Mohammedan. 
In  a  few  words,  I  shamed  him  on  the  unreasonable 
and  contradictory  position  he  had  taken,  and  he  soon 
left.  During  this  evening's  talk,  Narain  Sing's  case 
was  brought  up,  with  bitter  irony,  by  some  saying 
that  he  had  become  a  Christian,  and  had  received  as 
a  gift  all  the  land  about  Budaon.  By  this  it  was 
meant  that  he  had  been  made  a  fool  of;  and  what 
had  he  received  for  it? 

At  night,  the  usual  meeting  was  held  in  the 
chaupal,  and,  as  promised,  I  made  some  remarks  on 
heaven  and  hell,  as  presented  in  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures. A  large  number  of  villagers  were  present, 
and  all  listened  with  marked  attention.  From  the 
description  of  hell  that  was  given  as  a  place  of  end- 
less ruin,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  of  the  villagers 
may  not  be  so  ready  to  say  that  they  prefer  their 
own  religion  with  hell  to  becoming  Christian.  Na- 
tives often  have  such  vague  and  trifling  ideas  of 
what  hell   is,   that  they  are  but   little   concerned   to 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  8/ 

shun  it.  One  man  attempted,  when  the  description 
was  closed,  to  oppose  the  doctrine  of  transmigration 
to  an  eternity  of  ruin  after  this  hfe,  and  from  it  draw 
the  consolation  that,  if  the  present  life  did  prove  a 
failure  and  end  in  hell,  a  new  birth  and  new  term  of 
life  in  this  world  might  result  in  reaching  heaven. 
This,  of  course,  led  to  a  discussion  of  the  merits  of 
that  doctrine,  in  which — an  unusual  thing — the  opin- 
ion of  the  listeners  seemed  to  go  with  the  Bible 
teaching. 

February  i8. — In  the  morning,  I  took  Abraham 
with  me,  and  revisited  Subhanpore.  On  seeing  us 
coming,  a  number  of  the  villagers  assembled,  to 
whom  the  story  of  sin  and  salvation  was  rehearsed. 
All  listened  with  close  attention,  and  when  asked, 
''What  think  ye  of  Christ?"  some  one  very  sincerely 
inquired  in  what  country  he  was  born.  ''In  that 
man's  country,"  pointing  to  Abraham,  the  converted 
Jew,  "and  only  a  few  miles  from  his  native  city." 
This  point  was  settled  apparently  to  their  satisfac- 
tion. "And  where  is  Christ  now?"  put  in  another, 
to  which  the  reply  was  made  that  he  has  with  his 
body  "ascended  up  on  high,"  but  that  in  his  divin- 
ity he  is  every-where  present,  even  knocking  at  their 
hearts  for  admission.  These  villagers  are  very  teach- 
able; and  we  then  explained  at  length  what  it  is  to 
be  a  Christian.  The  question  is  often  asked,  "What 
kind  of  food  and  clothing  must  we  adopt  if  we  be- 
come Christians,  and  what  kind  of  work  must  we 
carry  on?"  We  tried  to  explain  that  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  not  "meat  and  drink,"  and  that  all  kinds 
of    honest    labor   are    honorable.      It    requires    great 


88  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

patience  and  ''aptness  to  teach"  to  hear  and  reply 
well  to  all  the  questions  and  objections  that  are 
started  in  these  village  talks.  The  constant  rehearsal 
of  the  same  simple  truth,  the  constant  answering 
of  the  same  questions,  and  the  constant  refutation  of 
the  same  silly  objection,  becomes  sometimes  very 
irksome,  and  only  a  strong  sense  of  duty  and  a  pity- 
ing love  for  perishing  men  prevents  it  from  becoming 
an  intolerable  weariness.  As  we  were  about  to  leave 
these  villagers,  they  became  very  attentive,  and  some 
one  called  us  gods.  This,  of  course,  led  to  another 
lesson;  but,  unlike  Paul's  hearers  of  old,  they  did 
not  turn  against  us,  but  besought  us  that  a  teacher 
might  be  sent  to  instruct  them.  They  affirmed  that 
for  nearly  five  years  they  have  not  worshiped  idols, 
and  I  subsequently  found  out  that  this  is  true. 
Something  has  impressed  them  with  the  folly  of 
idolatry.  A  change  is  most  certainly  going  on  in 
the  country  on  the  question  of  Idol-worship.  The 
same  want  of  confidence  in  the  wisdom  and  benefit 
of  this  that  caused  the  altars  of  Rome  to  be  aban- 
doned is  at  work  Mere. 

When  we  returned  to  camp,  Ajeet  Sing  was  pres- 
ent for  an  interview,  as  we  were  to  break  up  camp 
here  and  go  to  Budaon.  He  was  very  teachable, 
but  seemed  to  think  himself  helpless  in  being  alone 
as  an  inquirer  in  his  village.  I  urged  him  to  be  true 
to  his  name  (unconquered  lion),  and  follow  his  sense 
of  right  and  truth  at  all  hazards,  assuring  him  that 
God  would  help  him. 

After  breakfast,  at  lo  o'clock,  we  started  for 
home,    leaving   the   native   helpers  to  follow  in   the 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  89 

evening.  Midway,  I  left  Mrs.  Scott  to  drive  on 
home  with  the  children,  while  I  took  a  foot-path 
across  the  wheat-fields,  to  preach  in  a  village  which 
I  could  take  in  my  way.  A  half  a  mile,  wading 
through  the  waving  grain,  brought  me  to  Majea, 
where  I  intended  to  preach.  Near  the  village  is  a 
little  hillock,  rising,  by  a  gradual  slope,  eighty  or 
one  hundred  fe'et  high.  Ascending  this,  I  had  an 
expanded  view  of  the  country,  stretching  away  for 
many  miles,  with  its  sweeping  panorama  of  waving 
grain-fields,  green,  clustered  groves  of  mango-trees, 
and  a  village  here  and  there  al;  random.  In  a  coun- 
try made  up  of  vast  plains,  like  India,  it  affords 
most  pleasing  relief  to  find  a  hillock  like  this,  where 
a  little  elevation  breaks  the  monotony  by  extend- 
ing the  visual  range.  A  few  such  hillocks  or  wide 
mounds  are  found,  chiefly  near  villages.  Broken 
pottery  is  mingled  in  the  earth  of  which  they  are 
composed,  showing  that  they  are  the  remains  of 
former  habitations.  The  present  population  knows 
but  little  about  them  more  than  that  centuries  ago 
there  were  dwellings  here.  They  seem  to  have  been 
forts  or  strongholds. 

In  the  village,  I  found  a  few  willing  hearers. 
They  are  idolaters,  but  do  not  seem  to  have  very 
much  faith  in  their  idols,  and  are  quite  ready  to 
hear  and  learn  any  new  thing  that  may  be  proposed. 
I  told  them  how  the  next  village  had  abandoned 
idolatry.  This  they  confirmed  as  a  fact,  and  said 
they  Avere  ready  to  learn,  and  asked  me  to  come 
from  time  to  time.  Generally,  this  docihty  fails 
them  when  it  comes  to  accepting  Christianity,  with 


90  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

all  its  holy  restraints  and  requirements,  and  they  go 
away  undecided,  if  not  sorrowing. 

When  I  left  the  village,  I  struck  across  the  fields 
to  the  hermitage  of  a  famous  fakeer,  or  religious 
hermit,  of  whom  I  had  often  heard.  On  the  bor- 
der of  a  square,  artificial  pond,  fifteen  or  twenty 
rods  over,  I  found  the  retreat  of  the  fakeer  in  a 
clump  of  trees  of  various  kinds.  These  trees  are 
surrounded  by  a  thick,  matted  hedge  of  thorns  and 
bushes.  The  whole  locality  is  a  fit  place  for  the 
home  of  such  a  recluse.  A  half-hundred  little  dome- 
capped,  square  brick  buildings  tell  the  story  of  as 
many  widows  burned  alive  in  the  darker  days  of 
Hinduism.  This  was  the  spot  selected  for  the  ter- 
rible rite  of  the  suttee,  before  the  arm  of  British 
power  had  stayed  this  fearful  cruelty.  Here,  where 
the  shrieks  of  burning  widows  had  rent  the  smoke- 
dimmed  air,  this  man  lives.  I  had  heard  that  he 
never  allows  any  one  to  approach  him — that  with  a 
club  he  threatens  every  one  who  ever  attempts  to 
come  into  his  inclosure — excepting  some  person  who 
brings  him  food  from  time  to  time.  Perfect  seclu-. 
sion  he  is  making  a  part  of  his  austerity.  At  all 
hazards,  I  determined  to  go  in,  if  possible,  and  see 
how  he  was  living,  and  talk  with  him.  As  it  hap- 
pened, I  came  up  at  the  only  side  of  his  lair  by 
which  I  could  at  all  gain  access.  I  discerned,  by  a 
little,  beaten  path,  leading  down  to  the  water's  edge 
from  among  the  bushes  and  trees,  just  where  I  might 
find  my  way  in.  By  clambering  over  and  pushing 
aside  some  thorn-bushes  that  had  been  hacked  down 
and   piled    into   a   fence,    I   reached   this   little   path, 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  9 1 

and   ascended   within   the   inclosed   clump    of   trees. 
Through   the    branches    of   tree   and    bush,    the   old 
fakeer's   visage,    with    long,    matted    gray    hair    and 
beard,  gleamed  like  a  grim  goblin.      He  was  moving 
about,  and  I  called  to  him, 
** Peace  on  you,  old  man." 
''Who  are  you?"  with  gruff  surprise. 
'*Who  am  I?"  advancing. 

''Yes,  who  are  you,  thrusting  yourself  in  here?" 
savagely. 

"I  am  a  missionary,  old  man,  come  to  see  you.'' 
"Why  have  you  come  here?"  threateningly. 
"Come  to  see  you,  my  old  friend." 
"No  one  is  permitted  to  come  here." 
"You    see    I    have   come,"    I    said,    with   good- 
humor;    and   the   grim  old   man's  face  also   dropped 
into  a  smile. 

He  had  been  looking  very  cross  before,  and  was 
evidently  much  puzzled  by  this  strange  intrusion.  I 
told  him  I  had  come  to  talk  with  him  a  little,  but 
he  persisted  that  no  one  was  allowed  to  come  there, 
and  looked  for  me  promptly  to  turn  back;  yet  I 
kept  my  place.  He  was  a  venerable-looking  old 
man — a  perfect  type  of  this  kind  of  devotees.  His 
long,  unkempt  gray  hair  and  beard  hung  in  matted 
tufts  about  his  weather-beaten  neck  and  breast.  His 
only  covering  was  a  black,  coarse  blanket,  thrown 
over  one  shoulder  and  drawn  round  under  the  other 
arm.  A  hasty  glance  showed  that  he  lives  in  one 
of  the  small,  dome-capped  tombs,  erected  over  the 
ashes  of  a  funeral  pile,  where  were  consumed  at 
once  the  living  wife  and  the  corpse  of  her  husband. 


92  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

There,  for  thirty  years,  he  has  slept,  and  dreamed 
his  wild,  vague  dream  of  working-  out,  through  se- 
vere asceticism,  his  final  absorption  into  deity.  He 
was  confused  at  my  bold,  unheralded  intrusion  on 
his  unnatural  seclusion,  and  seemed  hardly  to  know 
whether  to  rave  at  me  or  indulge  a  little  talk.  As  I 
looked  at  him,  and  asked  a  few  questions,  and  he 
replied,  his  countenance  played  between  frowns  and 
smiles  in  a  most  amusing  way.  He  told  me  that  he 
called  the  magistrate  once,  and  petitioned  that  no 
more  cows  be  killed;  and,  in  his  fancied  self-impor- 
tance, he  said  that  he  supposed  the  petition  had 
gone  up  through  all  the  subordinates  to  the  queen. 
He  was  looking  for  the  results.  These  fakeers  some- 
times acquire  most  inordinate  conceit,  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  called  God,  and  receive  the  worship  of 
other  Hindus.  I  asked  the  old  fellow  if  he  had  a 
wife  and  children,  at  which  he  flew  into  a  rage,  and 
ordered  me  not  to  use  such  language  there.  Pardon 
was  asked,  and  the  old  man  assured  that  no  insult 
was  meant.  He  smiled,  and  requested  that  I  leave 
him,  and,  starting,  led  the  way  out,  opening  for  me 
a  passage  in  the  thorn  fence.  As  I  passed  out,  I 
asked  him  what  he  eats. 

'*God  feeds  me,"  v/ith  an  air  of  mysterious  im- 
portance. 

"Do  you  eat  the  fruits  of  these  mango-trees?" 

''Do  the  trees  bear  fruit  twelve  months?"  sharply. 

**But  Avho  feeds  you?"  I  persisted. 

''God,  I  tell  you,"  more  sharply. 

"Good-bye,  old  man,"  and  I  turned  away  from 
this  curious  specimen  of  religious  hallucination. 


CAMP  AT  LUKEMPORE.  93 

Near  by  outside,  I  met  a  little,  superstitious  old 
man,  who  had  wonderful  stories  to  tell  of  the  sanc- 
tity of  the  fakeer  within.  He  would  have  me  be- 
lieve that  he  lives  without  eating,  and  that  he  could 
work  almost  any  miracle.  "No,"  said  I,  **you  are 
a  better  man  than  he,  for  he  seems  to  be  very 
ill-tempered,  indeed."  The  simpleton  bowed,  and 
looked  flattered. 

I  turned  away  home,  reflecting  on  a  strange 
element  that  the  human  mind  seems  to  possess. 
Every  religion  has  produced  some  kind  of  asceti- 
cism. Devotion  to  God  seems  to  be  an  instinct 
of  the  heart.  Asceticism,  as  a  marked  expression 
of  this  devotion,  has  a  strange  charm  for  many 
minds.  Something  in  it  seems  to  speak  of  indif- 
ference to  the  allurements  of  things  earthly  and 
human,  and  of  a  concentration  of  the  soul  upon  the 
Divine  Being.  A  specious  consecration  to  him  is 
thus  established  and  kept  up,  which  pleases  and  flat- 
ters the  soul's  vanity.  Heathendom  has  these  dev- 
otees by  tens  of  thousands;  so  has  Christendom. 
Such  are  the  nuns  and  monks  of  Rome,  deceived 
by  the  same  "show  of  wisdom  in  will-worship  and 
humility  and  neglecting  of  the  body  not  in  any 
honor  to  the  satisfying  of  the  flesh."  Many  of  these 
shut  themselves  up  like  this  old  man.  Lazaroni,  or 
religious  mendicants,  wander  all  about  Italy,  repre- 
sented by  the  wandering  fakeers  of  this  country. 


94 


MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


IV. 

CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN. 

FEBRUARY  20.— We  started,  in  the  afternoon, 
for  Bangawan,  seven  miles  away,  intending  to 
encamp  there  for  a  few  days.  Tents  and  camp 
equipage  had  been  sent  on  in  advance.  The  road 
lay  just  in  the  direction  of  the  dechning  sun,  which 
beamed  full  in  our  faces  as  only  an  Indian  sun  can 
beam;  besides,  the  stone  road  was  hot,  and  the 
radiated  heat  added  to  our  discomfort.  I  reached 
camp  fatigued,  and  with  a  severe  headache,  from  the 
heat  and  glare  of  the  sun.  To  all,  the  very  common 
annoyance  was  added  of  finding  our  tents  but  half- 
pitched,  and  every  thing  in  perfect  confusion.  They 
were  located,  too,  in  a  low,  rough  bit  of  ground, 
where  a  pond  had  formed  during  the  rainy  season, 
and  after  months  had  dried  up,  leaving  great  fis- 
sures, so  that  it  was  utterly  unfit  for  a  camping- 
place,  especially  with  children.  Servants  are  among 
the  greatest  trials  of  missionaries  in  India.  Our 
allowances  do  not  enable  us  to  secure  competent 
aid  for  these  camping  tours;  hence,  Ave  often  have 
to  ''rough  it"  in  the  roughest  of  ways.  As  it  was 
late,  we  had  to  occupy  the  half-pitched  tents  for  the 
night,  planning  better  things  for  the  morrow.  Some 
of  the  head  men  of  the  village,  having  seen  us  drive 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  95 

up  to  camp,  came  to  make  their  salain  (salutation). 
These  men  have  been  caUing  occasionally  at  the 
mission-house  for  more  than  a  year.  They  are  high- 
caste  men,  and  seem  very  approachable.  Some  time 
ago,  one  of  them  gave  me  a  hint  that  for  a  grant' 
of  land  or  for  money,  he  and  others  would  become 
Christians.  I  more  than  suspect  that  all  their  friend- 
ship and  docility  is  in  hope  of  loaves  and  fishes. 

Missionaries  are  often  associated,  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  natives,  with  the  English  rulers  of  the 
country,  and  natives  make  these  tentative  offers  of 
becoming  Christians  in  hope  of  reward.  Moham- 
medanism, in  the  days  of  its  power  in  India,  made 
thousands  of  converts  by  giving  grants  of  land  and 
lucrative  employment  to  Hindus,  and  they  wonder 
why  we  do  not  use  the  same  policy.  Were  the 
British  government  to  favor  it,  and  missionaries  to 
adopt  the  policy,  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
could  be  made  Christians  for  worldly  gain.  But 
*'let  every  man  take  heed  how  he  buildeth.  Other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which 
is  Christ  Jesus."  He  never  tried  to  attach  men  to 
himself  by  merely  worldly  motives,  but  firmly  re- 
buked such  motives  when  uppermost  in  the  minds 
of  his  followers.  Romanists  did  not  scruple  to  em- 
ploy these  lower  motives  to  make  converts  in  this 
country;  but,  alas!  tens  of  thousands  of  their  com- 
municants most  need  the  Gospel's  saving  power. 
Protestantism,  in  many  places  in  India,  is  doing 
their  work  over  again.  The  true  foundation  is 
''Christ  Jesus."  Jesuit  cunning  and  worldly  chican- 
ery  spread    Romanism   in    Mexico,    South   America, 


96  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  largely  in  India,  and  are  spreading  it  in  China 
and  Japan  to-day;  but  the  work  of  true  evangelism 
is  yet  to  be  done  in  .the  wake  of  all  this  effort.  Yes, 
with  ''gold,  silver,  precious  stones"  we  must  lay  our 
foundation  in  Christ  Jesus,  slowly  though  it  be.  The 
''wood,  hay,  stubble"  will  not  endure;  but  the  true 
temple,  reared  in  toil  and  tears,  will  yet  receive  its 
head-stone,  amid  shoutings  of  "Grace,  grace  unto  it!" 
February  21. — Was  up  early  in  the  morning,  and 
helped  to  remove  the  tents  to  a  better  locality,  in  a 
clump  of  immense  mango-trees,  which,  stretching 
their  mighty  arms  aloft,  form  a  thick  arbor  over  our 
camp.  After  a  couple  of  hour's  work,  pulling  ropes 
and  driving  stakes,  I  was  too  tired  to  walk  to  any 
of  the  neighboring  villages,  so  took  the  native  help- 
ers for  a  talk  in  the  village  where  we  are  encamped. 
A  score  or  more  men  assembled  in  the  chaupal  to 
hear  what  w^as  to  be  said.  We  had  a  quiet  talk 
until  a  map-drawer  attempted  to  withstand  us.  He 
is  stopping  in  the  chaupal,  making  out  a  map  of  the 
village  lands  for  government.  Being  a  Hindu,  he 
tried  to  object  to  Christianity  on  the  score  of  incon- 
sistency. He  said  that  our  teaching  in  regard  to 
stealing,  lying,  licentiousness  is  all  very  good,  but 
our  conduct  and  teaching  touching  the  destruction 
of  life  are  abominable.  Hindus  hold  the  destruction 
of  animal  life  to  be  a  sin,  although  many  of  them 
do  not  practically  carry  out  their  ideas  of  sin  in  this 
particular,  but  kill  and  eat  some  kinds  of  game. 
However,  this  fellow,  in  order  to  make  a  point 
against  us,  took  up  the  Hindu  theory.  I  replied  to 
him   that   it* might   be   written   in   his   sacred   books 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  97 

that  all  destruction  of  animal  life  is  a  sin,  but  that  it 
is  not  so  written  in  the  book  which  we  teach;  but, 
to  the  contrary,  it  contains  instruction  for  the  slay- 
ing of  animals  for  our  use,  and  for  the  slaying  of 
men,  too,  when  they  do  not  behave  themselves.  It 
was  further  urged  that  the  requirements  of  his  the- 
ory could  not  possibly  be  maintained,  because  every 
drink  of  water  or  bit  of  food  taken  entails  the  de- 
struction of  life.  Every  time  he  walked  across  the 
fields,  he  destroyed  some  worm  or  insect.  The 
unreasonable  and  impossible  requirements  of  his 
religion  were  made  to  reflect  on  the  religion  itself, 
and  in  the  end  he  gave  up  his  undertaking  in  confu- 
sion. To  one  not  acquainted  with  the  chattering, 
interrupting,  spasmodic  way  the  natives  have  of 
talking  in  an  attempt  at  controversy,  it  is  difficult 
to  conceive  how  unpleasant  some  of  these  talks  are. 
You  are  interrupted  in  the  midst  of  almost  every 
sentence.  Apparently  no  attention  is  paid  to  what 
you  say,  but  a  separate  medley  of  ideas  is  kept  up 
and  pitched  in  abruptly  here  and  there,  so  that 
hardly  two  uninterrupted  sentences  can  be  put  to- 
gether. Often  I  have  just  stopped  short  and  told 
the  native  to  go  on  and  make  out  his  point,  taking 
the  lead  without  interruption,  and  then,  when  it  was 
his  pleasure,  to  let  me  know,  and  I  would  present 
my  statement,  but  that  I  must  not  then  be  inter- 
rupted. The  native  would  then  talk  on  to  his 
apparent  satisfaction,  and,  leaving  off,  tell  me  to 
speak;  but  half  a  dozen  sentences  would  hardly 
be  uttered  before  he  would  unceremoniously  dash 
in   "with    some    objection    or    question.      Again    the 

9 


98  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

opportunity  for  him  to  speak  would  be  politely 
granted,  with  the  request  to  finish  his  ''say"  and 
let  me  speak.  All  right.  Again  he  would  say  all 
he  seemed  to  have  to  say,  and  then  tell  me  to  speak 
on;  but  I  would  hardly  be  on  the  way  before  he 
would  dash  right  into  my  sentence  again  with  some 
kind  of  interruption.  When  rallied  with  the  folly  of 
such  a  way  of  talking,  sometimes  an  opportunity  to 
say  something  at  length  would  be  secured.  My 
opponent  to-day  was  a  fair  specimen  of  these  con- 
troversial guerrillas,  and,  after  considerable  effort,  I 
got  him  reduced  to  regular  warfare,  so  as  to  give 
him  a  hearing  and  get  a  hearing  myself  The  words 
of  Paul  are  always  in  place  as  a  qualification  for  the 
missionary  among  this  people:  "Gentle  unto  all  men, 
apt  to  teach,  patient,  in  meekness  instructing  those 
that  oppose  themselves,  if  God  peradventure  will 
give  them  repentance  to  the  acknowledging  of  the 
truth." 

During  the  day,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
village  visited  me  at  the  tent,  with  a  view  to  gettijig 
me  to  aid  him  in  some  way  in  obtaining  employ- 
ment in  government  service.  His  hopes  were  fixed 
on  some  office  among  the  police. 

In  the  evening,  sent  James  and  Abraham  to 
Basoman,  a  large  village  to  the  east  of  camp,  and 
took  Paul  with  me  to  another  village  called  Aheer- 
wara.  Near  this  village  are  pits,  from  which  a  kind 
of  calcareous  earth,  mingled  with  small  shells,  is 
dug.  When  burned,  it  forms  a  lime,  commonly 
used  in  building  in  this  country.  A  large  crowd 
assembled   in  one  of  the  streets  to  hear  us.      I  was 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN. 


99 


much  amused  at  Paul's  exposure  of  the  folly  of  idol- 
atry. Among  other  objects  of  worship  in  this  coun- 
try are  the  peepul-tree  and  a  bird  much  resembling 
the  blue-jay  of  the  United  States.  Said  Paul:  **You 
regard  the  peepul-tree  as  a  god,  and  adore  and  wor- 
ship it  as  a  protector;  but,  while  you  put  the  sacred 
thread  round  it,  and  are  standing  worshiping  at  one 
side,  along  comes  a  camel,  and,  stretching  up  its 
long  neck,  proceeds  to  make  a  meal  from  your  god 
on  the  other  side.  Your  god  can  not  save  himself 
from  being  devoured  by  an  animal.  Again,  you  sec 
that  bluebird  perched  somewhere,  and,  putting  up 
your  hands,  proceed  to  worship  it,  while  from  the 
other  side  up  comes  a  thoughtless  boy,  and,  with  a 
sling,  hits  it  a  rap  with  a  stone,  when  down  tumbles 
your  god  at  your  feet,  more  helpless  than  yourself. 
Think  how  you  shut  and  lock  your  temples  at  night 
to  keep  thieves  from  stealing  away  your  miserable, 
helpless  stone  gods,  who  thus  require  your  protec- 
tion." These  villagers  manifestly  were  not  very  en- 
thusiastic in  their  devotion  to  the  animal,  veo-etable, 
and  mineral  divinities,  for  they  laughed  heartily  at 
the  ridiculousness  of  the  whole  thing,  as  I  did  my- 
self, while  the  old  man  threw  such  an  air  of  absurd- 
ity over  this  senseless  worship.  A  large  crowd  had 
listened,  and,  as  we  left,  they  asked  us  to  return, 
apparently  pleased  with  the  merriment  that  had  been 
made  at  the  expense  of  their  gods. 

At  night,  we  went  to  the  chaupal  of  our  camp- 
village.  The  map-drawer  was  still  there,  but  he 
evidently  had  been  thinking  over  the  conversation 
previously    had,    and    seemed    changed    in    manner. 


100  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

The  subject  of  religion  and  salvation  was  again 
brought  forward,  and  this  man  put  in  some  ques- 
tions, but  in  a  very  changed  tone.  Old  Paul  handed 
him  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in  Hindu,  and, 
pointing  out  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Romans,  that 
glorious  inculcation  of  Christian  virtue,  requested 
him  to  read  it  then  and  aloud.  He  did  so,  with 
apparent  admiration,  asking  questions  as  he  went 
along,  which  opened  the  way  for  hortative  com- 
ments for  the  benefit  of  a  group  of  hearers  who 
gathered  in  at  the  sound  of  our  bell.  All  seemed 
pleased,  and  we  withdrew  for  the  night,  hoping  that 
some  seed  had  fallen  in  good  ground. 

February  22. — Was  awaked,  in  the  morning,  by 
the  carols  of  birds  in  the  immense  mango-trees  that 
spread  their  great  branches  over  our  tents.  The 
wild  peacocks  screamed  as  they  sailed  down  from 
the  branches  to  feed  in  the  grain-fields  near  by. 
Dove  cooed  to  dove  as  they  sallied  forth  from  the 
same  leafy  retreat  above  our  tents  to  the  loving 
fellowship  of  the  day.  The  rumbling  of  distant 
thunder  told  of  approaching  rain,  although  the  sun 
beamed  out  from  the  east  with  dazzling  splendor, 
such  as  only  an  Indian  sun  can  shed  forth. 

After  a  cup  of  tea,  I  took  Paul  with  me  to  Buso- 
man.  We  struck  across  the  wheat  and  barley-fields, 
following  the  convenient  foot-paths  left  by  the  culti- 
vators. A  pony  was  to  follow  for  old  Paul,  who 
was  tired  enough,  and  sweating  finely,  when  we 
reached  the  village.  He,  however,  walks  very  well 
for  a  man  of  eighty  years,  especially  in  view  of  the 
fact,  too,  that  for  nearly  forty  years  he  kept  himself 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  TO  I 

in  the  closest  seclusion  as  a  religious  hermit,  part  of 
the  time  remaining  nearly  motionless.  Entering  the 
village,  we  went  to  the  house  of  one  of  the  head 
men,  who  at  the  time  was  absent.  Near  the  open 
gate-way  leading  into  the  court-yard  attached  to  all 
the  better  native  houses,  we  found  his  son,  who 
showed  us  the  greatest  contempt  by  sitting  quietly 
and  smoking  away,  without  the  slightest  recognition 
of  our  presence.  To  feel  the  force  of  the  insult  he 
wished  to  show  us,  one  must  know  the  habits  of  the 
better-class  natives  in  rising  and  showing  respect  to 
strangers  who  may  present  themselves  at  their  doors. 
Especially,  when  a  European  appears  in  their  midst, 
do  they  make  an  effort  to  treat  him  with  respect; 
but  this  insolent  fellow  sat  and  smoked  until  I  asked 
him  for  a  seat,  and  then,  without  removing  his  mouth 
from  the  long  stem  of  his  Jmkka  (pipe),  he  grunted 
out  a  lazy  signal  for  a  seat.  Once  seated,  another 
and  another  villager  came  up,  while  the  impudent 
fellow  smoked  on  in  silence.  Our  congregation  was, 
soon  collected,  and  among  them  was  a  brother  of 
the  smoker,  who,  with  better  breeding,  however, 
made  some  show  of  courtesy  in  the  native  way. 
He  listened  with  others  for  a  time,  and  then  put  in 
the  objection  of  fate  to  all  that  had  been  said  about 
sin  and  human  responsibility.  Hindus,  as  well  as 
Mohammedans,  are  fatalists,  and  it  is  surprising  how 
universal  the  idea  is  among  them,  being  an  excuse 
for  sin  in  the  mouth  of  all,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest.  The  popular  idea  is  that  just  inside  the  fore- 
head, on  the  cranium,  all  the  actions  of  a  man's  life 
have  been  traced  by  the  hand  of  fate,  and  that  these 


102  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

are  irresistibly  worked  out  just  as  written.  To  the 
self-comforting  apology  of  fate  thus  offered  for  all 
misdeeds,  the  reply  was  made  that  the  doctrine 
greatly  dishonors  God,  who  is  held  by  the  Hindus 
also  to  be  a  God  of  purity  and  justice.  All  seem 
to  hold  that  fate  must  originate  with  him;  hence, 
he  becomes  the  author  of  all  the  misery  and  sin  of 
humanity.  When  I  detailed  at  some  length  a  cata- 
logue of  the  sins  so  common  in  all  these  villages, 
and  asked  the  young  man  if  he  intended  by  his  doc- 
trine of  fate  to  charge  all  this  on  God,  he  shrank 
from  the  conclusion  and  settled  into  silence.  While 
we  continued  to  address  the  large  crowd  now  assem- 
bled, the  father  of  the  young  man  just  silenced — a 
great,  corpulent  fellow — came  strutting  up  and  took 
a  seat.  He  soon  began  to  ask  questions,  and,  among 
other  things,  wanted  to  know  what  there  is  in  heaven 
and  what  in  hell.  We  indicated  to  him  briefly  what 
the  Christian  Scriptures  teach,  and  he,  also,  then 
urged  the  doctrine  of  fate,  which  had  just  been  dis- 
cussed and  passed  by;  but  it  must  be  "line  upon 
line,"  and  the  same  arguments  against  fate  were 
repeated;  and  in  answer  to  the  question,  "What  is 
truth?"  he  was  told  that  this  world  is  a  place  of 
learning  and  preparation  for  another  world,  just  as 
his  village  school  is  a  place  of  learning  and  prepara- 
tion for  after  life.  A  blind  man,  standing  in  the 
crowd,  listened  during  all  the  talk  with  the  profound- 
cst  attention.  Poor  and  blind,  physically,  mentally, 
and  morally,  he  was  a  perfect  picture  of  destitution, 
and  I  prayed  that  the  divine  Son  of  David  might 
find   in  him  another  Bartimeus.     We  urged  all  our 


CAMP  AT  BANG  A  WAN.  IO3 

hearers   to   lay   to   heart   what   they  had   heard,   and 
returned  to  camp. 

At  noon,  I  took  Mrs.  Scott  and  Sarah  (Abra- 
ham's wife)  into  the  camp-village  to  have  an  interview 
with  the  women.  It  is  all-important  that  the  women 
be  conciliated,  for  they  are  the  main  pillars  of  idola- 
try in  the  country.  Women  every-where  seem  more 
religiously  inclined  than  the  "sterner  sex."  In  hea- 
then lands  this  peculiarity  is  seen  in  their  greater 
superstition  and  devotion  to  idols.  When  children 
get  sick  or  die,  nothing  is  more  common  than  for 
the  wife  to  charge  it  on  the  husband  for  his  neglect 
of  the  idols;  and  she  will  be  found  stirring  him  up, 
by  entreaties  and  threats,  to  make  the  necessary  sac- 
rifices and  offerings.  Every  thing  that  can  be  done 
to  enlighten  and  conciliate  the  women  opens  the 
way  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  important 
that  missionaries'  wives  and  the  wives  of  their  help- 
ers gain  access  to  the  women  in  their  houses,  and, 
by  kind  words  and  friendly  bearing,  impress  them 
with  the  truth.  Mrs.  Scott  and  Sarah  went  into 
the  chief  villager's  house,  and  found  a  half-hundred 
women  assembled  to  see  and  hear.  I  remained  with- 
out and  talked  to  a  group  of  men,  who,  with  true 
village  curiosity,  had  come  together  to  see  an  ''an- 
grez''  (English)  woman.  I  tried  to  entertain  them 
with  a  description  of  agricultural  implements  in  en- 
lightened countries.  Some  of  my  descriptions  of 
plows  and  mowers  and  reapers  and  threshers  seemed 
to  them  almost  beyond  the  possible.  They  were 
highly  delighted,  and  wished  to  know  why  such 
things  are  not  brought  into  use  here.      I  told  them 


I04  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

to  abandon  all  false  religions  and  walk  in  the  Lord's 
ways,  and  all  kinds  of  blessings  would  be  added 
unto  them. 

In  the  afternoon,  went  to  Ojhanee,  a  large  town 
of  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  with  James  and 
Abraham.  We  have  been  preaching  in  this  place 
now,  from  time  to  time,  for  five  years.  It  was 
bazaar-day,  and  amid  the  noisy,  busy  throng,  be- 
neath the  branches  of  a  large  neem-tree,  we  stood 
up  to  declare  again  **all  the  words  of  this  life." 
The  day  was  hot  and  dusty,  and  I  felt  as  if,  while 
trying  ''not  to  be  weary  in  well-doing,"  I  w^ould  lit- 
erally ''faint"  in  the  midst  of  the  throng  while  talk- 
ing. For  the  first  time  in  this  place,  after  more  or 
less  preaching  for  five  years,  I  saw  something  like 
an  encouraging  sign.  A  biinya  (shop-keeper),  who 
formerly  was  in  the  habit  of  wrangling  with  us  in 
defense  of  his  gods  when  we  preached  in  this  place, 
came  forward  while  I  was  talking,  and  frankly  ac- 
knowledged that  he  had  no  faith  in  his  gods,  and 
that  bathing  in  the  Ganges  is  of  no  use.  He  Avas 
undecided,  however,  as  to  what  should  be  done  for 
salvation.  This  concession  may  seem  insignificant 
in  itself,  but  it  is  very  significant  of  the  progress  of 
truth,  and  shows  us  that  our  teaching  and  preach- 
ing are  not  in  vain.  When  the  guns  of  well-placed 
batteries,  apparently  without  making  any  impression, 
have  been  playing  away  for  days  on  the  massive 
walls  of  a  fort,  the  first  sign  of  giving  way  on  the 
part  of  the  fort  is  hailed  with  joy.  The  slightest 
shattering  of  a  wall,  the  dismounting  of  guns  and 
cessation  in  firing,   apparent  preparation  for  a  truce 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  IO5 

or  surrender, — all  these  bring  satisfaction  and  hope 
of  success  to  the  besiegers.  For  five  years  we  have 
preached  in  this  town,  apparently  without  making 
any  impression.  Now  an  intelligent  man  comes  for- 
ward, and  in  sincerity  avows  his  disbelief  in  the 
gods  and  the  sacred  river.  All  heard  quietly  and 
with  attention.  Thus  the  walls  are  at  last  appar- 
ently shattered,  and  we  see  that  some  headway  has 
been  made. 

A  late  dinner,  and  we  went  for  a  meeting  in  the 
chaupal,  in  a  new  part  of  the  camp-village.  From 
that  direction  the  villagers  have  grumbled  that  we 
have  not  given  them  a  meeting  yet.  The  bell  was 
rung,  and  soon  a  motley  crowd  of  at  least  a  hundred 
villagers  of  all  ages  were  assembled.  We  do  not  say 
**all  sexes,"  for  Avomen  are  not  allowed  to  be  pres- 
ent in  such  places.  They  are  always  supposed  to 
learn,  if  at  all,  at  home.  Not  one  objection,  was 
urged  to  all  we  had  to  say  at  this  interview.  The 
head  man  of  this  part  of  the  village  bethought  him 
of  his  dinner  before  we  were  through,  and,  hunger- 
ing less  for  the  bread  of  life  than  for  the  meat  that 
perisheth,  he  left  before  we  were  done,  saying,  with 
an  assuring  nod  of  the  head,  that  he  would  do  what- 
ever the  rest  did. 

Sunday,  Fcbjiiary  23. — The  warning  thunder  of 
yesterday  proved  the  harbinger  of  a  tremendous 
rain.  About  10  o'clock  last  night,  it  began  to  pour, 
and  it  was  pour,  pour  all  night  long.  The  precau- 
tion of  digging  a  trench  round  the  tents  was  neg- 
lected, in  the  expectation  that  but  little  rain,  at  this 
season,  would   fall;    but  ''the  windows   of  heaven" 


I06  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

seemed  to  be  literally  opened,  and  in  the  morning, 
when  we  awoke,  the  low  ground  where  our  tents 
were  pitched  for  a  better  shade  was  completely 
flooded  with  half  a  foot  of  water  over  the  tent- 
floors,  while  the  muddy  ripples  were  gently  plashing 
among  the  legs  of  bedstead  and  chairs.  All  without 
looked  dreary  enough  as  the  fast-falling  rain  dimpled 
the  little  lake  that  spread  around  the  tents.  The 
whole  was  a  most  unpleasant  termination  of  plans 
for  the  day.  We  had  intended  to  hold  two  Sabbath 
services  for  prayer  and  preaching  in  the  village.  At 
8  o'clock,  the  rain  ceased.  The  cook  waded  into 
our  tent  with  a  hot  cup  of  tea  and  some  buttered 
toast,  which  we  disposed  of  sitting  on  our  beds, 
above  the  flood  that  had  spread  through  the  tents. 

I  then  waded  out,  while  Mrs.  Scott  was  carried  to 
shore  on  a  chair,  and  the  children  in  arms  by  serv- 
ants. The  native  helpers  were  sent  to  stop  in  the 
village,  while  we  drove  home  and  found,  O  such 
a  house!  The  new  roof  had  leaked  badly;  carpet 
and  floor  were  all  wet;  walls,  overhead,  every  thing 
covered  with  dampness  and  mold.  Fires  were  set 
ablaze  in  each  chimney  to  reverse  this  state  of 
things,   while  we  partook  of  a  humble  breakfast,   at 

I I  o'clock,  of  boiled  potatoes,  bread,  and  tea. 
February  28. — In  the  morning,  I  started  alone  for 

the  village  where  we  were  recently  washed  out  by 
a  heavy  rain.  Already  the  wind  was  up,  though 
somewhat  early  in  the  morning.  It  came  driving  in 
my  face  almost  with  the  force  of  a  hurricane,  and  I 
drove  in  its  teeth  with  much  difficulty,  holding  the 
lines  with  one  hand  and  my  hat  with  the  other.     In 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  10/ 

this  month,  the  west  monsoons  often  blow  sharply. 
When  I  reached  the  village,  I  found  the  native  help- 
ers comfortably  lodged  in  the  chaupal.  They  seemed 
glad  to  meet  me  again  in  the  "tented  field."  After 
a  considerable  drive  against  that  steady  wind,  I  rel- 
ished the  food  they  set  before  me.  But  whew!  how 
hot  it  was!  The  Mexicans,  famous  for  their  peppery 
dishes,  would  weep  over  this  food,  as  I  did  quite 
freely.  The  hot  lunch  over,  we  repaired  to  the 
camping-place  to  put '  the  tents  in  order.  Where 
they  stood  was  a  slough  of  despond,  and  they  were 
accordingly  removed  to  firmer  soil;  but,  in  repitch- 
ing  them,  we  pulled  and  the  winds  pulled  for  the 
mastery,  and  for  a  time  it  was  hard  to  tell  which 
would  conquer.  A  few  stout  stakes  were  driven 
into  the  ground,  and  to  these  and  the  giant  trunks 
of  the  mango-trees  the  strong  ropes  were  lashed,  the 
wind  was  outdone,  and  my  house  was  again  in  order; 
but  it  was  order  full  of  dust,  for  the  persistent  blast 
poured  along  the  stretching  plains,  carrying  clouds 
of  dust,  which  eddied  into  my  tent  through  every 
nook  and  corner.  Undismayed,  I  settled  myself  for 
the  work  of  the  day. 

First  came  a  Mohammedan,  who  for  some  time 
has  been  an  inquirer.  I  had  nothing  new  to  urge 
upon  him,  nor  did  he  seem  to  have  any  thing  new 
to  ask;  but  it  must  be  line  upon  line,  precept  upon 
precept,  so  I  repeated  something  of  what  I  had  often 
urged  upon  him  before.  Next  came  Doulat  Sing 
(lion  of  wealth),  a  tall,  broad,  herculean  fellow  from 
the  village  near  by.  Doulat  Sing  had  often  called 
before,  and  sometimes  wanted  to  talk  about  religion; 


I08  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

but  to-day  his  conception  of  his  wants  seemed  to 
rise  no  higher  than  his  stomach.  He  had  often,  he 
said,  heard  of  the  virtues  of  tea,  and  he  begged  me 
to  give  him  a  httle  in  the  dry  leaf,  as  he  was  suffer- 
ing from  a  severe  cold.  The  tea  was  given,  and  he 
was  then  told  to  think  more  of  the  disease  of  sin 
from  which  his  heart  was  suffering.  He  left,  promis- 
ing that  he  would  think  more  on  this  subject. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  wended  our  way  across 
the  now  ripening  wheat  and  barley  fields  to  a  large 
village  called  Narau.  On  reaching  the  chaupal,  we 
found  it  already  occupied  by  women  ''whose  steps 
take  hold  on  hell."  Harlotry  is  not  a  disreputable 
profession  in  this  country.  At  this  season  of  the 
year,  when  gifts  of  grain  may  be  more  readily  given, 
courtesans  move  among  the  villagers,  stopping  for  a 
short  time  in  each  place,  meanwhile  enjoying  the 
marked  hospitality  of  their  friends.  They  go  away 
laden  with  gifts  of  money  and  grain,  A  large  crowd 
assembled,  to  whom  the  Gospel  message  was  deliv- 
ered. Numerous  questions  were  asked,  and  answered 
apparently  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  listeners. 

At  night,  we  held  a  meeting  in  the  chaupal  of 
the  camp-village.  The  villagers  assembled,  and  list- 
ened with  unusual  interest.  Some  of  the  natives  had 
kindled  a  fire,  which  filled  the  place  with  smoke;  and 
my  eyes,  already  irritated  by  the  wind  and  dust, 
caused  me  such  pain  that  I  was  glad  to  return  to 
the  tent.  Soon  in  came  my  old  friend,  Doulat  Sing,' 
with  a  large  plate  of  ptwees,  a  kind  of  thin  cakes, 
fried  in  butter.  He  had  taken  my  tea,  and  .now,  in 
return,   I  must  eat  bread  with  him,  which  I  did,  of 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  IO9 

course,  to  please  the  man.  He  sat  and  talked  while 
I  disposed  of  several  of  his  purees,  and  then,  taking 
his  salain  (peace  on  you),  I  let  him  depart.  I  re- 
tired to  my  dusty  couch  with  a  throbbing  brain  and 
smarting  eyes.  The  hot,  dry,  driving  wind,  the  pen- 
etrating dust,  the  sun,  and  the  smoky  chaupal,  had 
been  too  much  for  me. 

February  29. — Had  a  bad  night's  rest.  Suffered 
from  neuralgic  pain  in  the  side  of  my  neck  that  had 
been  most  exposed  to  the  wind  in  yesterday's  drive. 
Usually,  I  sleep  soundly  and  sweetly  beneath  can- 
vas, and  awake  fresh  and  vigorous  for  a  morning 
round  among  the  villagers.  Not  so  to-day.  Nev- 
ertheless, we  were  soon  off  to  Narau,  having  been 
invited  to  come  back,  that  they  might  hear  us  again 
on  this  matter.  As  we  walked  across  the  fields, 
between  the  plats  of  wheat,  a  simple-hearted  old 
fellow  hailed  us  with, 

"No  one  intends  to  become  Christian  in  the 
village  where  you  are  stopping.  They  are  deceiv- 
ing you.      Don't  trust  them." 

**Very  well,  old  man,"  said  I,  **time  will  show." 

Subsequently,  I  found  out  the  secret  of  the  old 
fellow's  remark,  which  was  that  he  wished  to  check 
our  friendship  in  the  other  end  of  the  village,  with 
which  his  end  has  a  quarrel. 

Reached  Narau,  and  a  few  strokes  of  the  gong 
soon  brought  up  a  half-hundred  hearers.  These  I 
tried  to  impress  with  the  evil  of  sin,  as  being  the 
way  that  leads  to  hell.  Some  one  in  the  crowd  tried 
to  retort  the  charge  of  sin  on  the  English  rulers. 
The  government,  he  urged,  is  full  of  avarice  in  the 


no  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

way  it  collects  land-rent  and  taxes.  I  explained  to 
him  the  object  of  the  collecting  of  revenues,  which 
seemed  very  satisfactory  to  all.  The  stupidity  of  the 
natives  touching  the  object  and  policy  of  the  gov- 
ernment is  sometimes  very  remarkable.  Some  one 
then  put  in  that  they  have  no  time  to  be  religious 
and  serve  God,  much  less  to  learn  what  Christianity 
is  and  practice  its  requirements.  The  point  was  that 
they  have  enough  to  do  to  look  after  the  wants  of 
their  stomachs  and  backs,  without  even  attending  to 
their  own  religion ;  hence,  a  fortiori,  it  was  out 
of  the  question  to  study  out  and  put  on  a  new  and 
strange  religion.  I  then  illustrated  to  him  how  the 
new  religion  would  bring  with  it  such  blessings, 
having  the  promise  also  of  the  life  that  now  is,  that 
they  would  have  more  time  for  religious  duties  than 
their  fathers  ever  had.  They  were  astonished  with 
the  marvelous  stories  I  told  them  of  the  plowing, 
sowing,  reaping,  and  mowing  of  Christian  countries. 
I  then  hung  up  a  map,  and  pointed  out  the  coun- 
tries into  which  this  **new  religion,"  as  they  called 
it,  had  spread.  It  was  light  pouring  into  darkness 
as  these  ideas  beamed  on  their  minds. 

We  returned  to  the  camp-village,  and  selected 
and  marked  out  a  site  for  building  a  small  helper's 
house.  My  object  is  to  secure  a  permanent  resi- 
dence for  a  native  helper  in  this  place.  The  villa- 
gers  seem  pleased,  and  give  the  ground  cheerfully. 
After  ten  o'clock,  the  wind  rose  to  raging  pitch. 
The  ropes  groaned,  and  the  tent-pole  quivered  like 
the  rigging  of  a  storm-driven  ship.  What  clouds  of 
dust  rolled  through  the  murky  air!     I  had  intended 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  1 1 1 

to  drive  to  Ojhanee,  a  large  town  a  few  miles  away, 
and  preach  in  the  bazaar;  but,  in  the  face  of  such  a 
tornado,  it  was  impracticable,  so  I  contented  myself 
with  meeting  whatever  natives  came  to  the  tent  dur- 
ing the  day.  Among  these  was  a  tall,  lank  thakur 
(the  warrior  caste),  with  a  nose  fearfully  aquiline. 
He  annoyed  me  much  with  the  sneering  way  he 
treated  Christianity.  I  hardly  know  why  he  came. 
Toward  evening,  the  wind  fell,  and  the  clouds  of 
dust  subsided. 

I  took  James,  and  crossed  a  strip  of  low  jungle 
to  a  petty,  starved-looking  village  just  beyond.  We 
ascended  a  large  mound  near  by,  and  had  a  delight- 
ful view  of  the  agricultural  landscape  that  lay  spread 
out  far  around  us.  The  sun  was  setting,  and  the 
now  calm  air  was  mellow  and  refreshing.  In  the 
village,  we  met  a  warm  reception  in  a  military  sense. 
The  villagers  fought  for  their  idols  and  devils  to  the 
last.  They  are  chiefly  low-caste,  and  seemed  pos- 
sessed and  demented  with  idolatry  and  devil-worship 
in  a  pitiable  degree.  We  talked  more  than  an  hour, 
apparently  into  the  air.  The  moon  was  pouring  its 
silvery  light  over  the  quiet,  deserted  fields  as  we 
trudged  away  to  camp;  but  our  day's  work  was 
not  over. 

We  repaired  to  the  chaupal  of  the  camp-village 
for  a  word  of  exhortation  and  instruction.  The  gong 
called  up  our  congregation,  and  motives  for  accept- 
ing Christianity  were  again  urged  upon  the  hearers. 
One  old  man  listened  to  all  with  marked  attention, 
and  then  came  forward,  and,  with  great  deliberation 
and   earnestness,   went   on   to   state  his   objection  to 


112  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

their  becoming  Christians.  This  was  the  difficulty 
they  would  encounter  in  getting  their  children  mar- 
ried when  they  once  changed  their  religion.  ' '  Where 
will  we  go  for  wives  for  our  sons,  or  who  will  come 
for  our  daughters?"  He  was  told  that  there  are  now 
many  Christian  families  growing  up  in  the  country, 
and  that  this  difficulty  could  be  met,  and  need  not 
stand  in  the  way  of  doing  right;  but  he  could  not 
see  it,  and  left  us  apparently  convinced  that  he  had 
stumbled  upon  an  insurmountable  obstacle.  The 
old  man  mumbled  over  his  difficulty  with  an  air  of 
triumph  as  he  tottered  away. 

Sunday,  March  i. — I  did  not  awake  as  promptly 
as  usual  this  morning.  Weary  from  tramping  across 
the  fields  to  the  villages,  and  fretted  with  the  wind 
and  dust,  I  was  prepared  for  a  good,  sound  sleep; 
and  then,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  coolie 
had  come  from  Budaon,  bringing  a  batch  of  newspa- 
pers— the  New  York  Advocate,  the  Pittsburg  Advo- 
cate, and  the  Missionaiy  Advocate — so  that,  we^ry  as 
I  was,  these  kept  me  from  bed  till  a  late  hour.  No 
wonder  that  the  golden  sunlight  was  streaming  over 
the  fields  and  through  the  trees,  and  beginning  to 
play  beneath  the  side  of  my  tent  in  on  the  rough 
sackcloth  carpet,  when  I  opened  my  eyes.  ''Be- 
loved" or  not,  the  Heavenly  Father  had  given  me 
most  refreshing  sleep,  and  made  me  forget  all  my 
w^eariness  and  sorrow,  too,  at  the  hardness  of  men's 
hearts.  What  a  lovely  morning  it  was!  Emblem 
of  the  blessed  Sabbath  that  will  dawn  by  and  by! 
"Happy  as  a  bird"  seemed  to  be  true  enough 
among  the   feathered   creation   without.     The  green 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  II3 

parrots  screamed  as  they  started  from  the  branches 
and  winged  their  swift  flight  to  the  fields  of  ripening 
grain.  The  gentle  doves,  so  varied  and  numerous  in 
India,  cooed  and  cooed,  in  plaintive  responses  to 
each  other,  among  the  branches  that  stretched  over 
my  tent.  Mingled  chirpings  and  twitterings  of  sun- 
dry songsters  supplied  more  cheery  tones,  while 
some  crows,  so  tame  and  saucy  here,  hopped  about 
and  cawed  their  discordant  notes '  among  the  rest. 
Taking  a  brass  wash-bowl  and  a  towel,  I  went  forth 
among  the  trees,  and  performed  my  toilet  in  the 
open  air.  That  calm,  cool,  mellow,  sunny  air  was 
delicious,  and  in  refreshing  contrast  with  the  dry, 
dusty,  murky,  storm-driven  atmosphere  of  yesterday. 
Like  a  giant,  the  wind  rushed  and  raved  nearly  all 
day  long,  whirling  dust  in  maddened  puffs  along, 
pulling  and  straining  at  the  tent  until  I  feared  it 
would  be  hurled  to  the  ground,  tugging  and  wrest- 
ling with  the  huge  mango-trees  that  stood  around  at 
the  risk  of  dashing  them  on  to  the  tent,  ^olus, 
with  his  storm-fiend,  was  gone,  and  a  most  delight- 
ful calm  had  settled  over  all. 

At  eight  o'clock,  we  prepared  for  Sunday  wor- 
ship, like  our  fellow-Christians  of  other  lands;  but 
how  different  ours  from  the  Sabbath  services  of 
many  in  Christian  lands!  They  to-day  assembled  in 
their  stately  churches  to  sit  on  cushioned  seats, 
where  perhaps  the  organ's  *'sea  of  solemn  sounds*' 
swelled  forth  on  the  morning  air,  where,  too,  the 
Word  of  Life  was  dispensed  from  a  ''sacred  desk" 
befitting  well  a  ** beautiful  temple"  of  the  Most 
High.     We  repaired  to  the   rude  village  hut,  with 

.  10 


1 14  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

its  mud  walls  and  brown  straw  roof,  where  our  seats 
were  a  few  rough-made  cots,  answering  at  once  for 
bed  and  seat.  Our  congregation  was  a  few  ignorant 
Hindus,  who,  from  curiosity,  had  come  with  us  to 
see  how  these  Christians  worship.  Our  music  was  a 
Hindustani  hymn,  sung  to  a  native  air,  all  in  keep- 
ing with  the  place  and  circumstances  of  the  hour's 
service.  We  bowed  there  in  that  humble  place  and 
addressed  our  Maker,  and  asked  his  blessing  upon 
us  and  the  dark  souls  that  surrounded  us.  There, 
seated  with  the  hearers,  I  read  the  first  chapter  of 
Romans,  and  emphasized  the  latter  part,  so  true  in 
the  case  of  this  people.  Doubtless,  some  of  those 
hearers  were  well  acquainted,  by  observation  or  prac- 
tice, with  all  the  sins  of  that  terrible  catalogue.  The 
missionary  Ward  relates  that  a  Hindu  remarked  to 
him  once,  as  he  read  that  chapter,  "Why,  this  must 
have  been  written  about  us."  As  set  forth  in  that 
chapter,  I  explained  to  them  their  guilt  in  forsaking 
God  and  "changing  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible 
God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible  man, 
and  to  birds  and  four-footed  beasts  and  creeping 
things."  I  pointed  them  to  Christ  as  able  to  save 
them  from  all  those  sins  and  lead  them  to  a  world 
of  purity  and  eternal  bliss.  All  listened  with  pro- 
found attention,  and,  with  the  apostolic  benediction, 
the  little  meeting  was  closed. 

Many,  doubtless,  in  Christian  lands,  enjoyed  their 
fine  music  and  solemn  service  in  magnificent  sanctu- 
aries, surrounded  by  all  that  could  add  grace  and 
comfort  to  worship.  While  thanking  God  for  the 
religious  elevation  and   refinement,   the   security  and 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  II5 

comfort  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  brought  to 
lands  and  peoples  once  rude  and  savage  idolaters,  I 
did  not  envy  the  favored  worshiper  in  Christendom, 
as  I  turned  away  from  our  humble  effort  at  a  Sab- 
bath service  in  that  rude  village  hut,  with  its  thatch 
of  straw  and  walls  of  mud.  The  missionary,  true  to 
his  work,  with  all  its  discouragements  as  ''the  day 
of  small  things,"  finds  many  a  charm  binding  him 
to  it.  The  Heavenly  Father  seems  to  make  the 
birds  and  trees  and  fields  and  streams  contribute 
new  and  peculiar  pleasures  to  his  heart.  All  his 
comforts,  rude  as  they  may  be,  seem  to  have  new 
elements  of  enjoyment  in  them.  The  greater  the 
discouragements  that  at  times  beset  him,  the  more 
forbidding  the  circumstances  that  at  times  surround 
him,  the  brighter  beam  the  rays  of  hope  when  they 
come,  and  the  more  enjoyed  any  prosperity  or  com- 
fort that  may  be  afforded. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  we  went  for  a  meeting  to  a 
different  part  of  the  village.  The  two  ends  of  the 
village  seem  at  loggerheads,  and  we  can  not  collect 
them  together.  The  gong  sounded  an  announcement 
that  we  were  present,  and  the  villagers,  such  as  were 
disposed,  dropped  in.  It  was  a  much  ruder  place 
for  a  religious  meeting  than  we  had  in  the  morning. 
A  pile  of  chaff  lay  in  one  corner,  a  bundle  of  fodder 
in  another,  while  some  primitive  agricultural  imple- 
ments lay  here  and  there.  Groups  of  naked  children 
peeped  and  stared.  A  number  of  villagers  gathered 
in,  some  with  latJiis  (clubs)  in  hand.  Some,  on  their 
way  to  the  fields,  had  with  them  instruments  for 
cutting  grass.     I   sung  and   prayed,   and   then,   in   a 


Il6  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

general  talk,  recommended  Christ  to  them  as  a 
Savior  from  sin.  As  the  talk  went  on,  amusing 
interruptions  occurred.  ''Salain'  (salutation),  some 
would  say  as  they  came  up.  ''That's  true,"  was 
occasionally  put  in,  in  assent  to  some  remark.  A 
hearty  laugh  was  provoked  betimes  by  some  ridicul- 
ing thrust  at  idolatry.  The  meeting  was  closed  with 
an  apparent  good  impression,  although  a  Brahmin, 
annoyed  at  the  plight  into  which  the  gods  for  the 
time  had  fallen,  attempted  to  come  to  the  rescue. 
A  well-put  hint,  that  he  had  the  interests  of  his 
pocket  more  at  heart  in  this  zeal  than  the  good  of 
the  people,  carried  with  it  the  expressed  assent 
of  the  hearers,  and  the  Brahmin  was  hushed.  Idol- 
atry is  losing  its  hold  here. 

In  the  evening,  I  took  old  Paul  with  me  to  a 
large  village  called  Sikree.  A  jungle  of  unusually 
large  trees,  for  the  plains,  skirts  the  village  in  one 
direction,  terminated  by  a  long,  placid  pond,  the 
resort  of  numerous  wild  water-fowl  and  cranes.  The 
village  has  a  pleasing  air.  We  took  a  turn  through 
the  streets  as  an  announcement  of  our  presence,  and 
then  went  to  the  chaupal.  A  very  large  crowd  as- 
sembled, and  listened  with  good  attention.  It  is  sur- 
prising how  the  same  story,  the  same  exhortation, 
meets  sometimes  with  a  quiet,  interested  hearing, 
and  at  other  times  provokes  opposition  and  dispute. 

Maixh  2. — Was  up  early,  and  packed  part  of 
my  camp  equipage  for  a  march,  keeping  one  tent 
behind  for  the  day.  Went  with  James  for  a  talk  in 
a  village  called  Udhoule.  We  found  but  few  hear- 
ers.    Here    the    oft-told    story   of  Jand    lost   to   the 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  II7 

rightful  owner  by  the  cunning  and  sharp  deahng  of 
the  huiyas  (trader  caste)  was  repeated  to  us.  We 
tried  to  turn  their  thoughts  to  God  and  eternity,  but 
they  savored  only  of  the  things  of  men. 

Returning  to  camp,  I  breakfasted,  and  sent  off 
the  loaded  cart,  keeping  back  a  book  or  two  and  a 
tea-pot  to  beguile  the  mid-hours  of  the  day,  intend- 
ing to  follow  camp  in  the  evening.  True  it  is  that 
each  country  generally  produces  the  food  and  spices 
most  needed  in  that  climate.  The  mountains  in  the 
north  of  India  grow  fine  tea,  which  proves  a  most 
grateful  beverage  in  the  climate  of  India.  It  is 
sometimes  difficult  to  get  wholesome  water  in  the 
villages;  but  from  the  laboratory  of  the  tea-pot  a 
refreshing,  thirst-quenching  potion  can  always  be 
evolved. 

At  midday,  two  of  the  best  thakurs  of  the 
village  came  to  my  tent,  as  they  said,  to  bid  me 
good-bye.  They  expressed  pleasure  at  my  visit  to 
their  village,  and  hoped  I  would  return  soon.  They 
talked  about  the  prospects  of  their  little  village  when 
the  population  increases,  saying  they  could  not  tell 
where  they  would  all  find  employment  and  land  to 
cultivate.  I  suggested  that  when  they  become  Chris- 
tians, and  learn  the  best  modes  of  cultivating  the 
soil,  and  become  acquainted  with  sundry  arts  and 
trades,  they  would  find  plenty  to  do  and  increased 
means  of  livelihood.  Natives  are  often  very  lazy 
and  shiftless  in  their  habits;  and,  although  much 
of  the  soil  is  almost  boundless  in  its  capabilities, 
crops,  from  careless  and  slovenly  cultivation,  are 
often  poor.     Regular  and  well-sustained  labor  is. not 


Il8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  native's  idea.  He  works  by  fits  and  starts.  The 
sowing  and  harvesting  seasons  are  his  busy  times. 
Between  these,  the  ordinary  cuhivator  loiters  and 
lounges  away  much  of  his  time. 

In  the  evening,  when  the  heat  of  the  sun  had 
subsided,  I  started  for  the  new  camp.  A  number 
of  the  villagers  followed  me  a  little  distance  in  a 
friendly  escort.  To  these  I  gave  my  salani  (peace), 
and,  mounting,  drove  away,  at  some  distance  pass- 
ing through  a  village  called  Ismaelpoor  (city  of 
Ismael).  On  the  outskirts,  a  pretty  little  whited 
mosque  stood  in  striking  contrast  with  the  brown 
mud  walls  of  the  village  huts.  Ismael  City!  How 
many  villages  have  the  name!  Little  did  the  Egyp- 
tian bondmaid  think  in  her  distress,  as  she  sat  down 
in  the  wilderness  of  Beersheba,  that  the  half-famished 
lad  left  under  the  shrubs  would  furnish  a  name  for 
towns  and  cities  over  more  than  half  Asia. 

Through  the  village,  and  on  I  drove,  now  in  a 
scrubby  jungle,  with  the  low  branches  of  the  palm- 
trees  scratching  and  rapping  on  the  buggy-wheels  (a 
two-wheeled  conveyance),  now  through  the  sand  of 
some  low-lying  ground,  till  I  pulled  up  for  a  talk  in 
a  pleasant  village  midway  to  camp.  The  sun,  now 
low  in  the  west,  flung  a  golden  sheen  over  the  still 
surface  of  a  little  lake  that  came  close  up  to  the  vil- 
lage chaupal,  where  I  dismounted  and  took  a  seat. 
I  admired  a  large  white  crane  that  stood  out  in 
the  water,  quietly  watching  for  prey,  while  its 
long  shadow  was  mirrored  upon  the  placid  surface. 
There  is  something  about  the  scenery  of  some  of 
these   villages    that    one    gets    to    like,    although    in 


CAMP  AT  BANGAWAN.  TI9 

general  it  is  monotonous  and  little  attractive.  After 
preaching  some  time  to  a  large  crowd  which  had 
assembled,  I  hasted  away  to  camp,  as  night  was 
coming  on;  and  I  had  reason  to  repent  my  delay, 
for  the  rest  of  the  road  proved  very  bad,  being 
broken  and  cut  up  by  the  cross-beds  of  wet-weather 
streams. 

After  thumping  and  bumping  about  in  my  seat 
till  pommeled  into  a  state  of  distress,  I  reached  in 
the  dark  the  village  where  my  tents  were  pitched, 
in  no  mood  to  suffer  further;  and  yet  a  contemptible 
fellow,  whom  I  asked  the  way  to  my  camp,  mali- 
ciously sent  me  off  in  a  direction  that  brought  me 
to  a  deep  ravine,  necessitating  a  long  circuit  to  reach 
the  tents.  I  found  that  the  cartman  and  servants 
had  been  deceived  in  the  same  way,  and  met  with 
great  difficulty  in  extricating  themselves.  Fortu- 
nately, it  is  not  often  that  natives  are  actuated  by 
any  mischievous  feelings  toward  us.  Still,  where 
the  missionary  is  not  present,  sometimes  the  native 
helpers  are  greatly  annoyed.  I  found  the  tents 
pitched  in  a  large  grove  on  the  banks  of  the  Sote 
(sleepy  river) ;  and,  after  a  late  and  wretchedly 
cooked  dinner,  I  went  to  sleep,  amid  the  horrid  din 
of  innumerable  frogs  that  up  and  down  the  little 
river  croaked  and  croaked  their  loudest. 


120  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


V. 

CAMP  AT  KATINNAH. 

MARCH  3,  1868.— Before  daylight,  I  awoke  in 
agitation  from  a  horrid  dream.  I  imagined  a 
huge  tiger  had  crept  under  the  tent  and  savagely 
seized  my  arm  in  its  mouth.  A  terrible  struggle 
ensued,  during  which  the  spell  was  broken  and  the 
tiger  vanished.  All  kinds  of  frightful  visions  and 
terrible  fancies  reside  in  late,  heavy  dinners.  Sleep 
had  departed,  and  I  lay  till  the  peafowls  began  to 
scream  and  sail  down  to  the  grain-fields  to  feed. 
When  dressed,  I  stepped  out,  and,  having  arrived 
in  the  night,  saw  for  the  first  time  the  situation  of 
camp.  All  was  delightful.  The  sun,  with  half  his 
disk  above  the  wide-spread  plain,  poured  a  flood 
of  morning  light  over  village,  grove,  and  field.  The 
river  Sote,  with  many  a  tortuous  and  whimsical  turn, 
flowed  lazily  down  the  plain,  and  far  off  in  the  blaze 
of  the  rising  sun.  Around  me  were  the  great  old 
mango-trees,  planted  when  the  oldest  man  of  this 
generation  was  a  child.  In  front,  and  beyond  the 
river,  fields  of  ripening  wheat  came  down  to  the  lazy 
water's  edge,  where  a  solitary  palm-tree  here  and 
there  raised  its  feathery  head.  Some  poppy-fields 
were  in  sight,  with  their  calm  surface  all  white  with 
snowy  bloom.     To  the   left,  beyond  a  deep  ravine, 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  121 

on  a  slight  elevation,  somewhat  broken,  lay  Katin- 
nah,  our  camp-village.  Take  sin  away,  and  earth 
has  many  a  paradise  still.     **Man  alone  is  vile." 

Having  taken  a  cup  of  tea,  I  started  for  my 
morning  walk.  In  crossing  the  fields,  I  came  up 
with  a  young  fakeer,  who,  coarsely  and  scantily 
clad,  with  a  gourd  cup  slung  over  his  shoulder  and 
staff  in  hand,  went  singing  cheerily  along  in  fancied 
sanctity,  without  a  care.  This  wandering,  useless 
life  has  a  strange  charm  to  many  of  the  natives.  It 
was  manifest  that  the  asceticism  of  this  fellow's  life 
was  not  oppressing  him  severely;  for  he  was  fat  and 
sleek,  and  at  once  struck  up  a  conversation  in  a 
merry,  good-humored  tone.  I  tried  to  impress  him 
with  the  worthlessness  of  his  method  of  procuring 
moral  merit,  and  talked  to  him  of  Christ  and  his 
great  salvation  from  sin  and  death.  As  if  not  desir- 
ing to  be  disturbed  in  the  pleasant,  free-from-care 
dream  that  he  was  indulging,  he  soon  lagged  behind 
and  gave  his  salam,  while  I  pushed  on,  in  a  brisk 
walk,  to  a  village  just  ahead.  Arrived,  soon  had  a 
crowd  of  hearers,  whom  I  found  to  be  chiefly  a  low- 
caste  people.  They  listened  with  great  attention, 
not  raising  one  objection  to  all  I  said.  Such  docil- 
ity is  not  found  in  every  village.  After  an  hour's 
quiet  talk,  I  returned  to  camp  and  to  breakfast. 

A  number  of  villagers  were  present  for  an  inter- 
view. I  mentioned  the  shameful  conduct  of  some 
one,  last  evening,  in  misleading  me  and  causing 
trouble  to  the  cartman.  They  disavowed  emphatic- 
ally any  kind  of  connection  with  the  act.  During 
the  day,  other  groups  of  villagers  called  at  the  tent, 


122  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

all  expressing  great  indignation  at  the  conduct  of 
the  mischief-maker. 

In  the  afternoon,  went  Avith  the  helpers  to  the 
village  near  which  we  are  encamped.  On  an  ele- 
vated spot,  near  the  center  of  the  village,  we  found 
the  chaupal,  more  ample  and  comfortable  than 
places  of  its  kind  usually  are,  and  profusely  fur- 
nished with  plows,  drums,  rude  cots  and  chairs,  and 
a  cart.  A  private  Mohammedan  teacher  was  in- 
structing a  few  lads  in  reading  and  writing.  A 
crowd  gathered  in,  and  I  noted  that  many  of  the 
men  seemed  larger  and  better  fed  than  in  some  vil- 
lages. Their  caste  accounts  for  this,  as  they  are 
thakurs  (the  warrior  caste),  and  use  a  generous  diet. 
All  heard  in  very  good  spirit;  but  I  obser\^ed  that 
the  Mohammedan  teacher  seemed  silently  annoyed 
at  our  presence  and  talk — the  jealous  fellow. 

In  the  evening,  I  started  for  Budaon,  to  bring 
Mrs.  Scott  and  the  children  into  camp  again.  I 
turned  in  by  the  way  to  a  village  called  Simuria, 
for  an  evening  sermon.  A  narrow  lane  among  the 
mango-trees  brought  me  up  to  one  of  the  cleanest 
and  most  picturesque  villages  I  have  seen  in  India. 
It  seemed  delightfully  quiet  and  secluded  among 
the  surrounding  groves.  The  villagers  are  murous  (a 
low  caste  of  cultivators),  who,  with  their  light,  spare 
frames,  were  in  striking  contrast  with  the  stalwart 
fellows  I  had  just  left.  In  India,  one  can  see  the 
most  marked  effects  of  diet  and  employment  and  re- 
stricted intermarriage.  Caste  prescribes  these,  and 
lapse  of  time  has  accordingly  produced  striking  re- 
sults in  the  character  and   physique  of  the  different 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  1 23 

castes.  You  can  tell  pretty  well  beforehand  the 
spirit  and  temper  and  bodily  characteristics  of  a 
native  by  simply  knowing  his  caste.  When  caste  is 
broken  up,  and  the  intermarrying  of  races  and  a 
mixed  diet  are  generally  adopted,  the  population  of 
the  country  will  doubtless  greatly  improve.  My 
congregation  heard  quietly,  and  in  a  very  teachable 
spirit.  I  found  that  old  Paul  had  often  visited  this 
village,  and  some  little  impression  has  been  made 
upon  the  people.  They  say  that  they  no  longer 
worship  demons.  A  poor,  idiotic,  epileptic  boy 
came  along;  and,  on  asking  what  was  the  matter 
with  him,  was  told  that  a  devil  had  possessed  him. 
The  same  ideas  in  regard  to  epileptics  are  found 
here  that  prevailed  in  Palestine  two  thousand  years 
ago.  The  villagers  told  me  that  on  learning  further 
they  would  become  Christians.  Drove  home,  reach- 
ing the  mission-house  after  nightfall. 

March  4. — In  the  afternoon,  was  off  again  to 
camp  at  Katinnah,  taking  Mrs.  Scott  and  our  two 
little  girls.  A  drive  of  several  miles  brought  us 
near  the  secluded  village  where  I  talked  to  the  peo- 
ple yesterday.  Turning  in  at  the  same  lane,  I  pulled 
up  in  a  clean,  shady  grove,  and  left  Mrs.  Scott  and 
the  children  to  rest  among  the  trees  for  an  hour, 
while  I  went  into  the  village  for  a  talk  with  what- 
ever villagers  I  might  find.  They  seemed  chiefly  to 
be  yet  in  the  fields,  and  my  congregation  was  small ; 
but  all  heard  in  a  very  quiet  and  orderly  manner — 
the  quietness  and  order  of  indifference,  I  fear.  With 
a  caution  not  to  forget  the  word  of  exhortation,  re- 
turned to   the   buggy,   and  we  pushed   on  to  camp. 


124  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

The  last  beams  of  the  sinking  sun  were  dancing  over 
the  surface  of  the  tardy-flowing  Sote,  as  we  drew 
up  at  the  ford  opposite  the  tents.  The  jaded  horse 
quaffed  with  a  reHsh  the  hmpid  stream,  when,  push- 
ing to  the  other  shore,  a  half-dozen  natives  rushed 
into  the  water  to  help  the  buggy  up  the  steep  ascent. 

We  dined  by  lamp-light,  and  then,  with  the  help- 
ers, I  went  into  the  camp-village  for  an  evening 
meeting.  A  very  large  crowd  gathered  into  the 
chaupal,  and  heard  with  great  interest.  They  were 
full  of  inquiries,  and  drew  me  into  extensive  expla- 
nations of  places  and  things  in  the  great  Western 
world.  Some  things  seemed  to  them  fabulous.  A 
religious  turn  was  given  to  all  by  showing  them  that 
Christianity  has  been  the  great  cause  of  the  eleva- 
tion and  enlightenment  of  the  West;  and  then  came 
the  application,  **  These  things  are  for  you  and  your 
children."  As  we  turned  away,  it  was  manifest  that 
the  villagers  had  heard  ''strange  things"  to-day. 
Thus  the  seeds  of  truth  are  deposited  and  the  peo- 
ple set  thinking. 

March  5. — The  unmusical  scream  of  peafowls 
broke  my  morning  slumber,  and  called  me  up  for 
the  duties  of  the  day.  I  unroll  a  map  and  mark 
out  the  daily  round  of  villages,  partaking,  mean- 
while, of  a  bit  of  toast  and  a  cup  of  tea,  my  only 
food  till  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  Old  Paul  was 
down  sick,  and  could  not  go  out  for  his  round. 
Abraham  was  sent  to  a  village  three  miles  away,  in 
one  direction,  while  James  went  with  me  to  a  vil- 
lage called  Jurasee.  Away  we  went  in  a  brisk  walk 
across  the  broken  plain,  with  a  cool,   lively  breeze 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  1 25 

in  our  faces,  now  over  the  broken  bricks  of  a  de- 
serted village-site,  now  crossing  a  series  of  deep 
parallel  ruts.  The  cool,  steady  wind  made  my  ears 
and  nose  ache,  so  cool  is  it  now;  but,  a  month 
hence,  it  will  come  like  the  breath  of  a  furnace. 
Reaching  the  village,  we  found  a  crowd  seated 
around  a  little,  smoldering  fire  in  a  small  excavation 
in  the  ground. 

''What  are  you  doing  here?"  we  inquired. 

"Roasting  our  hands,"  was  the  laconic  rejoinder. 

Cots  were  brought,  and,  taking  a  seat,  our  mes- 
sage was  opened.  Some  noisy,  snarling  dogs  aroused 
the  ire  of  one  of  the  villagers,  when  he  poured  forth 
on  the  offending  dog  such  vile  abuse  as  only  the 
natives  of  India  can  use.  I  besought  the  man  never 
to  utter  such  words  again,  as  he  thereby  made  him- 
self more  beastly  than  the  abused  dogs.  Just  as 
I  had  again  commenced  talking,  a  hawk  swooped 
down  and  caught  a  small  bird  from  the  ground  near 
by,  and  the  attention  of  all  was  called  off  by  the 
cries  of  the  ill-fated  bird.  I  rallied  their  attention 
to  the  Gospel  again  by  telling  them  that  Satan,  just 
like  the  hawk,  is  watching  his  opportunity  to  seize 
and  carry  them  all  off  to  hell,  and  that,  ere  they  are 
aware,  they  may  be  fully  in  his  clutches.  The  reply 
was  made  that  they  have  assistants  and  defenders  in 
the  gods.  I  then  called  attention  to  the  plain  fact 
that  their  gods  seem  to  stand  as  much  in  need  of 
deliverance  from  sin  as  they  do.  Reference  was 
made  to  the  vile  character  of  the  gods,  as  found  in 
their  books.  To  this  the  remarkable  reply  was  made 
that  such  things  were  no  sin  in  them,  because  they 


126  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

possess  power  and  authority  to  do  just  as  they  Hke. 
Thus  it  was  urged  that,  as  they  are  irresponsible, 
their  will  and  desire  is  the  only  standard  of  right. 
The  fallacy  of  such  logic  was  illustrated  for  them  by 
the  case  of  a  king,  who  might  set  up  his  absolute 
authority  and  will  as  the  only  standard  of  right,  and 
then  commit  all  kinds  of  crimes  and  excesses,  just 
because  he  could.  They  were  asked  if  they  thought 
his  conduct  would  be  deemed  right,  just  because  he 
had  the  power  to  do  as  he  did.  All  seemed  to  feel 
that  there  must  be  some  other  standard  of  rectitude 
than  simply  the  will  of  the  all-powerful  or  independ- 
ent. The  gods  were  once  more  left  in  a  bad  plight. 
A  native  musician  came  along,  and  was  asked  to 
sing  and  play  for  us.  "No,"  said  he,  ''when  the 
/lo/ee  comes,  then  I  will  play.  We  keep  the  /lolee, 
just  as  you  keep  Christmas."  The  /lo/ee  is  a  Hindu 
festival,  held  in  celebration  of  a  feat  of  one  of  the 
gods.  The  shameless  performances  often  carried  on 
in  this  holiday  are  not  fit  to  be  related.  I  explained 
to  the  crowd  the  meaning  of  Christmas,  and  the 
event  that  it  celebrates,  dwelling  at  some  length  on 
the  story  of  Christ's  incarnation,  and  the  object  of 
his  death  and  sufferings.  From  my  heart  the  prayer 
went  up  that  they  might  see  and  appreciate  the  dif- 
ference between  the  story  of  Christ's  incarnation  and 
the  silly  myth  celebrated  in  the  obscene  festivities  of 
the  /lo/ee. 

Closing  the  conversation,  took  a  turn  round  the 
village  with  the  native  helpers.  Two  or  three  villa- 
gers followed.  We  came  upon  a  shrine  of  some 
idols,  which  were  simply  some  rude  stones  on  a  low 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAII.  12/ 

platform  of  earth.  They  were  still  wet  with  the 
morning  libation  of  water,  and  strewn  with  an  offer- 
ing of  flowers.  I  told  the  villagers  who  accompanied 
us  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  folly  of  such 
worship  would  be  seen  by  all;  but  my  statement 
only  met  with  a  positive  contradiction. 

March  6. — Was  up  early,  and  called  for  my  toast 
and  tea.  These  were  brought;  but,  while  my  back 
was  turned,  a  prowling  dog  snatched  my  toast  and 
fled.  These  wretched  animals  often  annoy  us  in 
camp  very  much.  They  lurk  about  with  singular 
watchfulness  and  cunning,  and,  when  an  opportunity 
is  found,  seize  any  thing  eatable,  and  even  to  one's 
shoes,  and  dash  off  My  toast  replaced  and  eaten 
(this  time  by  myself),  crossed  the  river  with  Abra- 
ham, and  passed  through  the  fields  to  a  village 
called  Mai  Budea.  A  number  of  villagers  were 
gathering  opium  in  a  poppy-field.  When  the  petals 
fall  off,  upright  incisions  are  made  in  the  capsules, 
from  which  a  milky  sap  exudes,  and  turns  into  a 
brown  paste,  which  adheres  to  the  capsule.  This, 
when  scraped  off,  is,  without  any  preparation,  the 
opium  of  commerce.  The  cultivators  go  through 
the  fields  every  day  or  two,  and  scrape  off  the 
opium  collected,  which  is  bought  up  by  government 
for  ;^2.25  per  pound. 

We  found  a  neat  chaupal,  inclosed  by  a  mud 
wall,  and  surrounded  by  orange  and  plantain  trees — 
a  great  improvement  on  chaupals  generally.  The 
zemindar  (farmer)  of  the  village  soon  came  up.  He 
was  an  old,  gray-headed  Mohammedan,  who  showed 
us    no    little    politeness.      A    crowd    assembled,    for 


128  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

whom  I  tried  to  portray  the  evil  of  sin,  and  then 
point  them  to  the  remedy.  An  objector  put  in  that 
there  is  no  sin  in  this  village;  but  a  half-score  of 
voices  rang  out  at  once,  *'We  have  plenty  of  sin 
here."     The  man  was  hushed. 

In  the  evening,  crossed  the  fields  with  James  to 
Lohater,  The  yellow  grain  is  nearly  ready  for  the 
reapers.  We  passed  a  group  of  cJiamai's  (a  low 
caste  which  furnishes  the  shoemakers  and  leather- 
dressers  of  the  country),  who  were  busy  flaying  a 
dead  ox.  The  ox  had  "died  of  itself;"  but  this 
was  immaterial  to  the  cJiainars,  who  are  always 
ready  to  make  use  of  such  animals,  if  they  find 
them  before  decomposition  has  gone  too  far.  A 
large  number  of  vultures,  kites,  hawks,  and  crows 
lingered  around,  ready  to  come  in  for  their  share 
Avhen  the  chamars  left.  It  was  amusing  to  see  with 
w^hat  patience  the  huge,  bare-necked  vultures  tamely 
walked  about  near  by,  or  rolled  and  basked  in  the 
sun,  quite  assured  that  their  turn  would  come  by 
and  by.  Still,  some,  with  less  composure  than  oth- 
ers, at  times  seemed  to  vent  their  impatience  in 
brief  fights,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  crows, 
Avhich  they  sent  cawing  and  circling  into  the  air. 
Passing  on  to  the  village,  we  found  a  few  Moham- 
medans, who  were  very  shy  at  first;  but,  with  a 
little  persuasion,  after  a  time  several  came  up.  They 
heard  very  badly.  Mohammedanism  seems  to  em- 
bitter the  heart  against  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel. 
We  were  obliged  to  return,  without  the  slightest 
apparent  success. 

At   night,    went   to    the    chaupal    of   the    camp- 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  1 29 

village,  where  I  finished  a  series  of  conversations  on, 
I.  Sin;  2.  Christ  and  his  salvation;  3.  The  former 
moral  and  social  condition  of  Europe  as  compared 
with  the  present,  showing  the  effects  of  Christianity. 
The  villagers  generally  listened  well.  On  a  former 
occasion,  the  Mohammedan,  who  teaches  a  few  lads 
here,  was  putting  in  some  silly  objections,  when,  to 
stop  him,  I  quoted  in  Persian  a  proverb,  which  runs 
that,  while  one  keeps  his  mouth  shut,  his  defects 
and  ignorance  remain  concealed.  I  found  out,  after- 
ward, that  the  rogue  told  the  villagers,  when  I  left, 
that  I  had  in  Persian  besought  him  not  to  put  me 
to  confusion  before  them !  I  sharply  reproved  him, 
to  his  confusion,  at  this  meeting,  for  lying. 

March  7. — In  the  morning,  I  started  to  Budaon, 
intending  to  meet  brother  Judd,  who  had  arranged 
for  a  quarterly-meeting.  Already,  Mrs.  Scott  and 
the  children  had  gone.  Accompanied  by  Paul  and 
Abraham,  I  passed  across  a  broken  plain,  in  the  face 
of  a  sharp  wind,  to  a  neat  village  just  on  the  bank 
of  the  Sote.  Two  immense,  tall  palm-trees  in  the 
village,  that  seemed  to  push  their  fan-leafed  heads 
against  the  sky,  made  the  place  conspicuous  from 
a  distance.  We  found  a  group  of  Mohammedans 
smoking,  who,  as  usual,  heard  the  Word  with  an  ill 
grace.  We  had  some  little  difficulty  in  getting  over 
the  river,  as  there  were  three  of  us  to  cross  by  one 
pony;  and  the  native  groom,  to  avoid  wading  in  the 
cold  water,  had  slipped  away.  An  old  man,  fortu- 
nately, came  up  to  the  ford,  who,  for  a  few  pice, 
crossed  and  recrossed,  leading  the  pony,  until  we 
were   all   over.      Pushed   on   to   Downree,   where   we 


130  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

found  a  large,  high,  airy  chaupal,  and  tried  to  collect 
a  congregation  for  a  talk;  but  few  came  together. 

March  ii. — In  the  morning,  sent  the  native  help- 
ers back  to  camp,  where  the  tents  had  been  left 
standing  for  a  short  time.  At  3  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, started  in  the  buggy,  with  Mrs.  Scott  and  our 
little  girls,  to  spend  a  few  days  more  in  tents,  before 
the  camping  season  closes.  I  turned  in  by  the  way 
at  Simiria,  where  I  had  been  twice  before.  Seeing  a 
crowd  of  natives,  standing  by  a  kind  of  furnace, 
parching  grain,  I  joined  them  and  began  to  talk, 
while  they  kept  up  the  parching,  which  is  done  in  a 
number  of  large  earthen  pots,  in  which  sand  is  well 
heated,  and  the  grain  thrown  in  and  stirred  among 
the  sand  with  a  small  shovel.  The  heated  sand 
parches  the  grain  very  evenly  and  nicely.  The 
whole  is  taken  out  of  the  pots  together  and  thrown 
into  a  sieve,  where  the  sand  separates,  leaving  the 
grain.  Grain  is  thus  parched  for  eating  whole.  The 
natives  sometimes  brown  our  coffee  for  us  in  this 
way,  and  it  could  not  possibly  be  done  better. 
Quite  a  crowd  had  collected,  and  I  urged  them  to 
abandon  their  multifarious  gods,  and  worship  and 
serve  the  one  true  God.  This  proposition  met  with 
a  stout  opposition.  The  holee  is  near  at  hand,  and 
Hindus  are  always  more  enthusiastic  in  their  religion 
in  connection  with  their  great  annual  festivals.  A 
man  came  up  with  a  dreadfully  sore  hand,  which 
seemed  to  be  literally  rotting  away.  I  urged  him 
to  go  to  Budaon,  to  the  government  hospital,  and 
save  his  hand.  The  natives  have  almost  no  correct 
knowledge    of   medicine.      Government    is    doing    a 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  13I 

good  work  by  establishing  hospitals  in  many  of  the 
large  towns  over  the  country,  and  the  natives  are 
beginning  to  learn  the  worth  of  English  medicine 
and  surgery.  Pushing  on,  we  reached  camp  at 
nightfall. 

March  12. — In  the  morning,  took  James  and 
Paul  with  me  to  a  village  called  Nagauri.  We 
passed  through  large,  far-reaching  wheat-fields,  that 
stretched  away  in  a  golden  ocean,  full  of  promise 
for  the  cultivators.  We  found  the  village  a  poor, 
desolate-looking,  thriftless  place,  its  most  prominent 
building  the  quarters  of  "strange  women,  whose 
feet  go  down  to  death."  A  crowd  gathered  into 
the  chaupal,  the  zemindar  came  up,  and  we  heard 
again  the  old  story  of  insolvency,  and  lands  sold  to 
liquidate  unfortunate  debts.  I  charged  all  on  their 
laziness  and  wickedness.  While  we  were  talking, 
one  of  the  villagers  brought  in  an  idol,  and,  holding 
it  up,  with  a  silly  grin,  said,  ''This  is  our  god." 
It  was  a  small,  nude,  hideous  female,  cut  from 
stone,  and  considerably  gnawed  by  the  ''tooth  of 
time."  I  laughed,  and,  taking  the  thing  in  my 
hand,  set  it  up  in  one  corner,  and  went  on  to  ex- 
pose the  extreme  folly  of  worshiping  such  a  pitiable 
object.  All  set  up  a  clamorous  defense  of  idolatry, 
and  I  thought,  for  a  time,  we  were  to  have  a  repe- 
tition of  Paul's  experience  at  Ephesus.  All  were 
quieted,  however,  and  the  shabby  image  Avas  re- 
manded to  its  place  outside,  under  a  tree.  I  then 
reverted  to  the  great  wickedness  of  the  villagers  in 
setting  up  the  "strange  women"  in  honor  in  their 
midst.      "This    is   their   god-appointed    trade,"   said 


132  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

one;  and  he  undertook  a  defense  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter, in  such  a  way  that  I  gave  up  in  despair.  All 
seemed  hard  to  an  unwonted  degree. 

Returning  to  tents,  found  the  chief  zemindar  of 
the  village  where  we  are  encamped,  present  for  an 
interview.  He  was  frank  to  confess  the  great  wick- 
edness of  the  people,  and  said  that  it  was  his  inten- 
tion to  reform.  He  would  give  up  sin,  but  remain 
in  his  own  religion.  I  tried  to  impress  him  with 
the  hopelessness  of  this  reform,  unless  he  would  go 
about  it  in  God's  appointed  way,  and  directed  him 
to  Christ.  At  that  stone  he  stumbled.  It  is  certain 
that  our  preaching  is  awakening  in  the  minds  of 
many  a  sense  of  sinfulness.  The  man  left,  and  I 
urged  the  native  helpers  to  be  more  earnest  in 
preaching  salvation  from  sin,  and  to  show  the  truth 
of  their  preaching  in  their  lives. 

In  the  afternoon,  some  villagers  came,  asking  the 
privilege  of  having  a  dance  in  the  grove  where  we 
are  encamped.  The  dancing  is  always  done  by  those 
bad  females  that  infest  the  country.  At  first,  I  re- 
fused to  have  any  such  thing  in  the  same  grove 
where  I  was  encamped;  but,  as  they  urged  that  this 
was  the  only  suitable  place  for  the  proposed  dance, 
and  as  the  grove  was  theirs,  and  we  were  in  it,  after 
all,  only  by  sufferance,  I  consented  that  the  dance 
might  be  held,  but  at  a  distance  from  our  tents. 

In  the  evening,  crossed  the  river  and  went  to  a 
village  two  miles  away,  where  we  found  a  mixed 
congregation  of  Hindus  and  Mohammedans.  They 
heard  with  great  impatience,  and  at  last  the  village 
patwari  (writer)  jerked  himself  out  of  the  crowd,  in 


CAMP  AT  K  AT  INN  AH.  1 33 

a  great  rage,  saying  that  he  would  not  listen  to  such 
teaching.  We  talked  on,  and  the  fellow's  curiosity 
soon  led  him  back  again;  but  he  remained  quiet. 

Returning  to  camp,  found  the  zemindar  present 
to  invite  me  to  the  dance,  which  was  to  take  place 
by  torch-light.  I  refused  all  countenance  to  the  per- 
formance, and  requested  him  not  to  have  it  near  our 
camp.  Weary  and  feverish  from  tramping  over  the 
fields  in  the  sun,  closed  the  work  of  the  day. 

March  13. — Nearly  all  night  long,  the  dance  was 
kept  up.  After  all,  it  was  not  removed  beyond 
hearing;  and  nearly  the  livelong  night,  the  monoto- 
nous tenor  tones  of  the  dancers  as  they  sang,  and 
the  jingling  of  the  bells  with  which  they  decorate 
their  ankles,  were  to  be  heard.  The  zemindar,  by 
appointment,  was  to  show  Mrs.  Scott  the  way  to 
his  house,  for  a  visit  in  his  family;  but  he  did  not 
appear.      He  has  two  wives. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  started,  with  old  Paul,  to 
Gauramaya.  A  chill  was  coming  on,  just  as  I  left 
the  tents,  which  passed  off  before  reaching  the  vil- 
lage, and  a  smart  attack  of  fever  set  in,  which  kept 
me  unpleasant  company  for  about  two  hours.  We 
went  to  the  village  chaupal,  and  I  examined  the 
boys  of  a  small  school.  Meanwhile,  a  large  crowd 
had  gathered  in,  mostly  Mohammedans,  to  whom  I 
tried  to  talk,  burning  all  the  while  with  the  fever. 
I  urged  the  manifest  sinfulness  of  their  hearts  on 
their  attention,  and  made  an  appeal  to  consciousness 
for  the  fact  of  their  sinfulness.  They  were  living  in 
open  iniquity.  Mohammedans  are  no  better  than 
Hindus.     Thousands  of  Hindus  have  turned  Moham- 


134  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

medans,  but  are  not  in  the  least  improved.  Arabia, 
the  fountain  of  Islamism,  is  no  better  than  India. 
What  is  wrong?  The  rehgion  of  these  countries.  I 
then  told  them  that  I  had  come  more  than  ten  thou- 
sand miles  to  ask  their  hearts  if  they  are  pure.  I 
appealed  to  them  to  answer,  this  moment,  the  ques- 
tion. The  answer  was  given  that  *'we  are  not  pure 
yet,  but — -. "  I  checked  the  "but,"  knov/ing  w^iat 
it  meant,  and  pointed  them  to  Christ  as  a  present 
Savior  from  sin.  A  grim-looking  fellow  insisted  that 
Christians  dishonor  God  by  saying  that  Christ  is 
divine,  thereby  setting  up  two  gods.  I  replied  by 
trying  to  show  them  that  God  is  honored  and  magni- 
fied by  the  Christian  revelation  and  teaching.  With 
the  exception  of  one  blind  old  man,  with  a  long, 
flowing  gray  beard,  all  listened  attentively.  He  came 
up  near,  and  constantly  interrupted  me  with  stupid, 
bigoted  remarks;  nor  would  he,  by  any  persuasion, 
desist.  Returned  to  camp,  weary  and  feverish.  This 
lazy  little  river  breeds  malaria  here. 

MarcJi  14. — In  the  morning,  went  with  Abraham 
to  Jurasee.  A  crowd  came  up,  and  listened  in  a 
very  teachable  spirit.  A  pundit  (Hindu  religious 
teacher)  was  present,  and  we  found  him  to  be  a 
modest,  intelligent  man,  who  had  obtained  a  tract 
from  some  of  our  missionaries  in  another  station. 
He  spoke  w^ell  of  the  book.  Having  had  a  long, 
quiet  talk,  we  left  the  village;  and,  as  we  passed 
away,  I  looked  back,  and  saw  that  the  villagers  were 
having  *a  noisy  conversation  over  what  Ave  had  said. 

Returned  to  camp,  and  found  a  native  present, 
called    Girdari.      Girdari    is   a   high-caste    man,    said 


CAMP  AT  KATINNAH.  1 35 

once  to  be  wealthy;  but,  as  the  popular  saying  has 
it,  a  mental  screw  got  loose  in  some  way,  and  for 
many  years  he  has  claimed  and  taken  the  liberty  of 
eating  and  associating  with  whom  he  pleases.  Some 
months  ago,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  old  Paul, 
and  now  he  often  visits  him.  In  physique,  he  looks 
odd  enough,  with  his  great,  broad  feet,  shambling 
limbs,  and  cadaverous  jaws.  With  a  coarse  blanket 
over  his  shoulder,  hot  as  it  may  be,  and  a  gourd 
cup  swinging  on  his  back,  he  is  ready  for  almost 
any  journey.  Girdari  eats  with  Paul;  and,  in  short, 
his  Hindu  relatives  call  him  a  Christian. 

In  the  evening,  we  broke  up  camp  at  Katinnah, ' 
and  started  for  Budaon.  I  left  the  buggy  for  an 
hour,  and  turned  in,  at  Dawari,  for  an  evening  ser- 
mon to  the  villagers.  A  large  crowd  collected,  and 
all  were  urged  to  abandon  idolatry,  repent  of  sin, 
and  turn  to  Christ,  the  true  incarnation.  The  reply 
was  made  that  ''the  gods  will  surely  destroy  us  in 
anger."  ''If  they  have  any  power  to  harm  any 
one,"  said  I,  "let  them  destroy  us  first."  This 
silly  fear  will  not  last  forever. 


136  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


VI. 

CAMP  LOST. 

MARCH  18. — Started,  in  the  afternoon,  for  an- 
other short  tour  among  the  villages.  The 
road  lay  in  the  direction  of  the  declining  sun,  the 
increasing  heat  of  whose  rays  plainly  shows  that 
the  camping  season  is  quite  over.  Up  to  the  mid- 
dle of  March,  tent-life  is  pleasant.  Beyond  this 
time,  canvas  is  not  a  sufficient  protection  from  an 
Indian  sun.  I  started  to  reach  some  villages  in  a 
direction  where  I  had  not  yet  gone.  The  road  led 
over  the  Sote  (sleepy),  a  quiet  little  river,  which, 
true  to  its  name,  creeps  lazily  along,  hardly  making 
its  presence  known,  until  one,  descending  the  very 
gentle  slope  by  which  its  valley  falls  below  the  gen- 
eral plain,  stands  upon  its  very  brink.  As  I  crossed 
the  short  bridge  of  boats,  the  long  sweep  of  golden 
wheat  and  barley  fields,  far  up  the  valley,  made  a 
most  delightful  vista — full  of  promise,  too,  in  these 
times  of  high  prices  in  grain.  Months  ago,  from  a 
stand-point  further  up  the  river,  I  looked  down  upon 
the  same  scene;  but  how  changed  now!  Then  the 
fields  were  clothed  with  a  bright  green  carpet  of  the 
freshly  sprouting  crops;  now  these  crops  wave  in 
golden  plenty,  ''all  white  to  the  harvest,"  and  the 
busy   reapers   are    beginning    to    go   forth.     A   lazy 


CAMP  LOST.  137 

fisherman  sat  on  the  bank,  with  his  hne  cast  beneath 
the  boats. 

*'What  are  you  doing  here?" 

** Fishing,"  with  a  grin. 

**What  have  you  caught?" 

** Nothing,  yet,"  patiently. 

*'How  long  have  you  been  sitting  here?" 

**Since  12  o'clock"  (four  hours  and  a  half,  and 
not  a  fish). 

When  the  patience  of  the  Hindu  becomes  sancti- 
fied by  the  love  of  Christ,  he  will  be  the  world's 
exemplar  in  this  virtue.  As  I  drove  on,  a  man 
came  running  after  me,  saying  that  his-  child  was 
very  sick.  He  evidently  took  me  for  the  govern- 
ment civil  surgeon.  I  told  him  to  take  the  boy  to 
the  hospital,  and  pushed  on.  A  half-mile  of  ascent, 
so  gentle  as  hardly  to  be  perceptible,  brought  me 
up  on  to  the  monotonous  plain  again,  with  its  field 
upon  field  of  yellow  grain,  in  places  falling  before 
the  reapers.  The  amount  of  grain  grown  in  India  is 
immense,  as  it  must  be  to  feed  so  large  a  population 
where  but  little  meat  is  eaten.  Some  idea  of  the 
population  may  be  gained  from  the  statement  that 
villages  of  from  two  hundred  to  five  hundred  or  one 
thousand  inhabitants  dot  the  plains,  in  this  district, 
in  all  directions,  distant  from  each  other  only  from 
one  to  three  miles.  But  comparatively  few  of  these 
people  eat  meat;  hence,  only  broad  and  bountiful 
grain-fields  can  supply  sustenance  for  life.  A  failure 
in  crops  often  brings  fearful  famines,  as  in  Orissa, 
last  year,  where  hundreds  of  thousands  died  of 
starvation.     It  will   be   a   happy   day  for   this   dense 

12 


138  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

population  when  their  rehgious  prejudices  are  swept 
away,  and  they  are  free  to  use  a  mixed  diet.  The 
thakurs,  a  caste  who  use  freely  a  mixed  diet,  are, 
perhaps,  the  largest  and  healthiest  class  among  the 
people. 

On  and  on  I  drove,  over  the  hot,  dusty  road, 
expecting,  at  each  village,  to  find  my  camp;  but  no 
tent  was  to  be  seen  or  heard  of  I  had  pushed  on 
at  least  twelve  miles,  when  I  began  to  suspect  some- 
thing was  wrong;  for  I  had  ordered  the  tents  to  be 
pitched  about  six  miles  distant  from  the  mission- 
house,  and  had  passed  the  village  intended  for  a 
camping-place.  The  fierce  luminary  of  day  had  dis- 
appeared from  the  west ;  villagers,  driving  their  cattle 
and  goats,  or  carrying  bundles  of  grain,  wages  of 
the  day,  were  wending  their  way  across  the  fields 
to  their  village  homes;  the  star-spangled  curtain  of 
night  was  drawing  gently  over  the  sky, — when  I 
came  to  a  halt,  satisfied  that  there  was  a  mistake 
somewhere.  A  hospitable  villager  urged  me  to  turn 
in  and  "honor  his  home."  The  best  thing  I  could 
do  was  to  accept  the  hospitality  of  this  man,  and 
make  the  most  of  it  for  the  night,  and  then  renew 
my  search  for  camp  the  following  morning.  I  had 
gone  five  miles  past  the  place  where  I  expected  to 
encamp. 

Turning  in  at  my  host's  village,  he  gave  me  a 
cot  and  blanket  for  a  bed,  ordered  grain  and  grass 
for  my  horse,  and  for  my  dinner — an  important  item 
just  then — he  brought  buffalo's  milk  and  chapatees. 
The  chapatee  is  a  kind  of  thin,  unleavened  cake, 
made    simply   of  water  and    coarse   flour,    and   then 


CAMP  LOST.  139 

baked  rapidly  on  a  hot,  convex  iron  plate,  under 
which  a  fire  is  kept  burning,  while  the  cakes,  often 
**sad"  enough,  are  speedily  turned  off,  and  stacked 
up  by  the  fire  to  keep  warm.  Well  baked,  and 
eaten  hot,  with  butter,  they  relish  finely.  I  was  a 
little  too  hungry  to  heed  the  fact  that  mine  were 
cold  and  heavy;  and,  having  no  prospect  of  any 
thing  better  for  some  time,  I  ate  several,  which  pro- 
duced a  fit  of  indigestion.  The  buffalo's  milk  was 
delicious. 

Dinner  over,  I  turned  to  the  congregation,  which 
the  novelty  of  my  situation  had  called  together,  and 
began  to  talk  about  sin  and  salvation.  In  the  com- 
pany was  a  sepoy,  a  stalwart,  six-foot  Sikh,  from 
the  Punjab.  He  came  down  with  the  native  troops 
that  aided  in  the  capture  of  Delhi,  and,  preferring 
service  in  this  part  of  India,  has  not  returned.  In- 
quisitive as  a  Yankee,  he  had  all  sorts  of  questions 
to  ask,  such  as,  "Where  is  God?  Where  is  heaven 
and  hell?  How  do  you  worship?"  etc.  Each  of 
these  questions  led  to  an  exposition  of  the  Christian 
idea  on  the  subject,  to  all  of  which  he  assented,  in 
the  end,  as  reasonable.  As  I  talked  on,  others,  from 
time  to  time,  threw  out  remarks,  confirming  the  as- 
sertion that  all  over  the  country  the  Hindu  faith  is 
shaken  by  the  permeating  leaven  of  Gospel  truth, 
slowly  though  it  may  seem  to  our  impatient  minds. 

Having  talked  myself  tired,  I  closed  the  word  of 
exhortation,  and  sent  the  villagers  away,  and  turned 
to  the  pages  of  the  Calcutta  Reviezu  for  an  hour's 
reading.  Fortunately,  I  had  put  it  into  the  seat  of 
my   buggy,    that    morning,    with    my    portfolio.      A 


140  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

little  earthen  saucer,  filled  with  oil,  supporting  over 
its  side  a  shred  of  cotton  cloth,  shed  a  friendly  light 
over  the  interesting  pages  of  the  Review,  dealing,  as 
it  often  does,  in  questions  specially  interesting  to  the 
Indian  missionary.  A  few  natives,  friends  of  my 
host,  sat  a  while,  bubbling  and  bubbling  away  at 
their  htikkas  (pipes).  The  sound  is  caused  by  the 
pipes  being  so  constructed  that  the  coveted  smoke 
of  the  weed  comes  through  a  little  vessel  of  water 
in  reaching  the  mouth.  It  is  thought  that  this  puri- 
fies and  improves  the  smoke;  and  much  it  ever 
needs  the  purifying.  By  and  by  the  rude  lamp 
burned  low;  and  the  medley  of  sounds,  kept  up,  in 
every  village,  at  this  festal  season  of  the  year,  con- 
sisting of  the  rattle  of  little  drums  and  the  singing 
of  women,  was  hushed  into  silence.  Two  or  three 
of  the  natives  wrapped  themselves  up  in  their  quilts 
for  the  night,  while  I  pillowed  my  head  on  the 
Revieiv  and  portfolio,  and  joined  them  in  the  obliv- 
ion of  sleep;  and  perfect  oblivion  it  was  to  me  till  * 
nearly  morning,  when  I  awoke  with  cold  feet,  from 
not  having  sufficient  covering.  The  moon's  mellow 
light  was  beating  full  in  my  face,  through  the  open, 
shed-like  structure  in  which  I  was  sleeping.  Another 
short  nap,  and  I  was  fully  aroused  by  the  morning 
songs  of  birds  in  the  neem-trees  near  by. 

March  19. — I  determined  to  start  in  the  direction 
of  Budaon,  in  hope  of  finding  the  missing  tents, 
thinking  that,  by  an  oversight,  they  had  been  left 
behind,  in  some  village  near  the  road  over  which 
I  came  yesterday;  but,  before  leaving  this  village,  I 
called   together   the   villagers   who    had   not   already 


CAMP  LOST.  141 

gone  forth  to  the  fields  to  reap,  and  spoke  to  them 
about  Christ  and  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  They 
listened  with  the  most  discouraging-  apathy,  and 
without  saying  one  word  for  or  against  what  I  had 
spoken. 

My  way  back  led  directly  toward  the  rising  sun, 
which  poured  its  fiery  beams  full  in  my  face.  The 
busy  reapers  were  at  work,  while  the  screaming  of 
wild  peacocks,  from  out  the  standing  grain,  showed 
that  they,  too,  were  after  their  daily  food.  A  drive 
of  two  miles  brought  me  back  to  Barah,  where  I 
had  expected  to  find  the  tents  yesterday.  Fresh  in- 
quiry brought  no  light;  but  I  "improved  the  occa- 
sion" by  preaching  in  the  village.  Our  chapel  was 
a  clean,  sunny  chaupal.  I  appreciated  the  cleanness, 
but  left  the  sunny  side  of  the  house  for  the  natives, 
who,  even  at  this  late  season,  prefer  to  sit  in  the 
sunshine  in  the  morning.  The  zemindar  of  the  vil- 
lage affected  great  hospitality,  and,  bustling  about, 
ordered  a  large  bowl  of  buffalo's  milk,  with  sugar  in 
it.  This  is  a  common  way  the  natives  have  of  pre- 
senting refreshrtient  to  one  newly  arrived,  and  it  is 
not  thought  wanting  in  cleanliness  if  the  sugar  is 
conveniently  stirred  in  with  a  black  finger.  On  this 
occasion,  a  small  stick,  picked  from  the  well-trodden 
ground,  served  the  same  purpose.  Through  with 
my  refreshment,  which  relished  well,  I  tried  to  turn 
the  thoughts  of  the  score  or  more  villagers,  who  had 
assembled,  to  the  meat  that  perisheth  not.  I  urged 
them  to  think  of  the  depravity  of  their  hearts,  and 
told  them  of  a  perdition  for  sinners,  and  of  a  heaven, 
through  Christ,  for  all  who  come  to  him  for  salvation 


142  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

from  sin.  At  length,  one  fellow,  in  a  half-confident 
way,  suggested  that  the  only  heaven  and  hell  there 
are,  we  have  in  this  life.  He  did  not  assume  the 
defensive  very  tenaciously,  and  that  position  was 
soon  turned.  At  this  point,  some  one  patronizingly 
remarked  that  the  truth  of  our  teachings  must  be 
making  headway,  for  not  more  than  half  of  the  idol- 
atry of  the  Hindus  now  remains.  Certain  it  is  that 
the  dawn  of  a  better  day  is  breaking  over  this  peo- 
ple. The  twilight  rays  of  truth  are  penetrating  the 
darkness  every- where;  and,  slowly  though  it  seems 
to  our  impatience,  the  day  comes.  God  grant  that 
the  sun  of  righteousness  may  soon  shine  forth  glori- 
ously! But  we  have  all  sorts  of  auditors,  and  a  less 
docile  spirit,  at  this  point,  took  occasion  to  state,  in 
terms  a  little  too  plain  to  be  called  simply  an  insinu- 
ation, that  we  people  (connecting  me  with  the  Brit- 
ish government)  sin  very  grievously  in  the  aid  and 
comfort  given  to  thieves  and  other  evil-doers. 

"In  what  way?"  I  asked,  in  surprise. 

'*A  man  steals,"  said  he,  ''and  you  take  him 
off  to  comfortable  quarters  [the  jail],  and  feed  and 
clothe  him  better,  perhaps,  than  he  fared  at  home." 

Here  my  objector  had  evidently  touched  a  pro- 
founder  question  in  civil  government  than  he  himself 
appreciated. 

"How  would  you  deal  Avith  thieves?"  I  qui- 
etly asked. 

"Cut  their  hands  off,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

This  was  no  newly  sprung  theory.  Native  rulers, 
in  former  days,  actually  did  practice  this  cruelty. 
This  mode  of  punishment  and  its  results  were  passed 


CAMP  LOST.  143 

in  review,  and  the  conclusion  soon  reached  that 
there  is  much  less  stealing  under  the  present  gov- 
ernment, even  if  the  thieves  are  clothed  and  fed 
for  a  season.  I  tried  to  impress  on  them  the  fact 
that  there  is  some  blessed  element  of  order  and 
security  present  in  this  Christian  government  that 
they  never  had  seen  under  any  native  rule.  All  was 
referred  to  Him  ''whom  we  preach"  unto  them. 

My  visit  in  this  village  was  rather  an  encouraging 
one;  and,  promising  to  come  again,  I  drove  on  to 
Karaw,  still  toward  Budaon;  but  no  tent  was  found. 
The  best  thing  I  could  now  do  was  to  content  my- 
self here  during  the  day,  and  drive  home  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening.  From  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  not 
having  had  sufficient  and  proper  food,  by  this  time 
I  had  a  severe  headache,  and  was  glad,  on  driving 
into  the  village,  to  find  a  comfortable  chaupal  in 
which  to  rest  till  evening;  but  the  villagers  seemed 
shy,  and  not  particularly  disposed  to  hospitality.  It 
was  after  10  o'clock,  and  I  was  thoroughly  hungry. 
When  the  zemindar  came  in,  I  asked  him  what  he 
intended  to  eat  to-day,  and  told  him,  if  he  had  no 
objections,  I  would  help  him  in  disposing  of  his 
rations  for  the  day.  He  took  the  hint,  and  smiled, 
and  soon  ordered  some  food,  consisting  of  potatoes, 
spiced  goat's-flesh,  and  purees  (wheaten  cakes  fried 
in  butter),  from  which  I  made  a  hearty  breakfast. 
The  pages  of  the  Calcutta  Revieiu  afforded  mental 
food  while  some  of  the  hot  midday  hours  passed 
away.  I  was  much  annoyed  by  swarms  of  the  uni- 
versal little  house-flies  that  infested  the  place.  This 
is   the   same   troublesome    little    fellow   that   swarms 


144  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

in  houses,  in  Europe  and  America,  in  the  warm 
season. 

Breakfast  over,  I  sat  and  talked,  for  a  time,  with 
some  villagers  who  had  assembled;  but  they  did  not 
hear  with  much,  attention.  It  is  to  me,  so  far,  unac- 
countable why  a  distance  of  only  three  or  four  miles 
makes  such  a  difference  in  the  tone  and  spirit  of  the 
natives.  An  ignorant  pundit  set  himself  to  oppose 
my  instructions,  and  it  required  no  little  patience  to 
bear  his  impertinent  interruptions.  He  urged  the 
common  apology,  that  men  sin  for  their  stomachs' 
sake,  and  hence  are,  in  a  measure,  excusable;  but  I 
pressed  him  with  the  manifest  fact  that  the  worst 
men  in  the  country,  too  often,  are  the  wealthy,  who 
have  no  need  to  sin  for  the  abdominal  god.  I  tried 
to  impress  him  and  his  friends  with  the  fact  that  the 
"dismal  stain  lies"  deeper  than  the  stomach,  and 
urged  them  to  seek  a  Savior  who  can  free  them 
from  sin.  There  was  something,  apparently,  unpal- 
atable in  such  instruction;  and,  with  some  petty 
excuse  from  the  pundit,  my  little  audience  suddenly 
left,  to  a  man.  I  looked  after  them,  with  a  really 
sad  heart  at  their  obduracy  and  blindness. 

''While  I  pondered,"  sad  "and  weary,"  in  came, 
not  a  raven,  but  the  nearest  approach  to  it,  some 
saucy  Indian  crows.  Ever  displaying  their  thieving, 
hungry  habits,  they  hopped  about,  snatching  and 
fighting  over  a  few  crumbs  that  had  fallen  on  the 
floor.  They  would  hop  up  within  a  few  feet,  and 
look  at  me,  as  only  crows  can,  first  with  one  eye, 
then  with  the  other.  To  one  familiar  with  the  hab- 
its  of  crows   in  America,   it   is  very  surprising  how 


CAMP  LOST.  145 

tame  these  are.  With  but  Httle  shyness,  they  hop 
and  caw  about  the  door,  ready  to  fight  with  the  dog 
over  his  bone,  or  snatch  away  any  stray  bit  of  food 
that  may  fall  to  their  lot. 

By  and  by,  the  **  lengthening  shadows"  of  the 
mud  houses  showed  that  the  sun  was  far  adown 
the  sky,  and  I  started  home,  with  an  aching  head. 
When  I  arrived,  I  found  that  the  cartman  had  mis- 
taken the  name  of  the  village  to  which  he  was 
ordered  to  go,  and  had  carried  my  tents  in  another 
direction;  but  my  experience  of  the  heat,  while  in 
search  of  them,  told  me  that  the  season  is  getting 
too  far  advanced  for  safety  in  camp ;  so  I  ordered 
the  tents  in,  and  ** closed  the  campaign."  Reader, 
in  your  closet,  pray  devoutly  that  the  spirit  of  the 
Almighty  may  watch  over  and  bless  the  seed  sown. 

13 


146  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


VII. 

CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES. 

OCTOBER  22,  1868.— We  had  resolved  to  begin 
the  itinerations  of  the  season  by  attending  the 
Kurkora  Mela,  a  great  annual  fair  of  the  Hindus, 
held  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  and  attended, 
often,  by  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  people. 
The  place  where  the  fair  is  held  is  eighteen  miles 
from  Budaon;  and,  for  our  first  march,  tents  were 
sent  out  to  a  village  called  Ramzanpore,  half-way. 
At  4  o'clock  P.  M.,  started,  with  Mrs.  Scott  and 
our  two  little  girls,  Elma  and  Alice,  for  camp.  We 
drove  part  of  the  way  over  a  good  stone  road ;  then 
the  children  were  taken  into  a  palankeen,  and  carried 
by  coolies,  while  Mrs.  Scott  mounted  a  pony,  and  I 
trudged  off  on  foot  over  the  remaining  five  miles  of 
the  way.  Though  late  in  the  day,  the  sun  was 
Avarm.  Mellow  Autumn  days  they  are,  at  home  in 
America — cool  and  comfortable;  but  here,  even  yet, 
we  carefully  shun  the  treacherous  sun.  I  could 
but  mark  the  scanty,  shriveled  crops,  almost  ruined 
through  lack  of  the  annual  rains.  Every-where,  the 
villagers  hailed  me  with,  '* Sahib,  we  are  dying" — 
an  Indian  hyperbole,  which  we  learn  to  understand. 
Still,  with  a  scant  third  of  a  crop  for  this  dense  pop- 
ulation,   there  will   be   hard,    hard   times  before   the 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  147 

season  comes  round  again.  Reached  camp  after 
nightfall,  tired  enough  from  a  tramp  of  more  than 
five  miles  over  a  sandy  road.  We  are  again  in  the 
field,  and  the  campaign  is  inaugurated.  Now,  for 
weeks,  it  will  be  preach  and  persuade,  persuade  and 
preach,  in  trying  to  turn  the  ignorant,  stolid  Hin- 
dus, and  wicked,  bigoted  Mohammedans,  into  the 
way  of  life.  Our  hope  is  in  God  alone  to  pull  down 
strongholds. 

October  23. — Early  in  the  morning,  I  went  across 
the  fields  to  a  small  village,  but  found  no  hearers, 
save  a  lame  man,  who  happened  to  be  passing 
through.  The  villagers  are  in  great  distress  over 
the  failure  in  the  crops.  They  were  out  in  the 
fields,  trying  to  save  the  little  that  has  escaped  the 
severe  drought.  As  I  was  returning  to  Ramzan- 
pore,  across  the  rolling,  sandy  fields,  a  few  natives 
came  running  after  me,  and  begged  that  I  would  in- 
tercede for  them  and  have  their  land-rent  remitted, 
as  they  could  by  no  possibility  pay  it  this  year. 

Went  to  the  chaupal  of  Ramzanpore,  which  is 
a  large  village  of  about  one  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  chaupal  is  built  on  a  high  mound,  in  the  center 
of  the  village,  quite  above  the  common  houses.  A 
school  of  thirty  pupils  is  taught  here  by  a  Moham- 
medan. I  examined  them  briefly  in  geography  and 
reading,  and  found  them  making  but  little  headway. 
At  the  close  of  the  examination,  I  talked  to  them, 
and  the  villagers  who  had  collected,  on  the  great 
importance  of  acquiring  the  best  of  all  knowledge — 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  way  to  heaven. 

One  of  the  native  helpers  had  come  up;   and,  as 


148  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

we  returned  toward  the  tents,  a  crowd  of  men  and 
boys  followed,  begging  books.  Colportage  opera- 
tions are  kept  up,  in  connection  with  missions,  and, 
formerly,  large  numbers  of  tracts  and  Scriptures 
were  distributed  gratuitously;  but  it  was  found  that 
many  of  them  were  wantonly  destroyed.  Particu- 
larly, Mohammedans  would  take  copies  and  destroy 
them,  out  of  puie  hatred  to  our  work.  Boys  have 
been  found  making  tracts  and  Bibles  into  kites;  oth- 
ers have  been  found  making  them  up  into  fireworks. 
This  has  led  to  the  policy  of  selling  the  tracts, 
books,  and  Scriptures  at  small  prices,  such  as  may 
check  a  vandal  destruction  of  them.  The  men  and 
boys,  who  followed  us,  begged  for  books  gratis,  but 
refused  to  buy.  As  they  returned  to  the  village, 
they  met  a  man,  just  coming  from  Budaon,  bringing 
bread  and  vegetables  for  our  camp.  He  was  in- 
sulted, covered  with  dust,  and  beaten,  in  a  most 
disorderly  manner.  The  evil  character  of  the  natives 
finds  expression  in  unheard-of  ways. 

In  the  evening,  I  returned  to  the  village  chaupal; 
and,  on  making  inquiry  into  this  cowardly  action,  it 
w^as  denied,  with  a  most  abject  avowal  of  the  impos- 
sibility of  such  an  action  taking  place  in  this  village. 
Found  a  number  of  pupils  present,  and  urged  them, 
and  others  who  had  come  in,  to  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  learn  of  Christ,  who  had  declared  himself 
as  "the  life,  the  truth,  and  the  way"  for  sinful  man. 
All  listened  well. 

October  24. — Was  up,  in  the  morning,  while  the 
stars  were  still  twinkling  down  through  the  leaves 
of   the    great    mango-trees,    among   which   we   were 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  149 

encamped  at  Ramzanpore.  While  day  came  on,  I 
helped  to  undo  the  tent-ropes,  to  hasten  an  early- 
march.  When  it  was  fully  light,  we  took  our  tea 
and  toast,  mounted  our  horses,  and  were  off  for  the 
fair-ground  —  the  children  carried,  in  a  palanquin, 
by  coolies.  Away  we  went,  down  the  sandy  road, 
through  the  drought-blasted  fields;  now  among  sand- 
drifts,  piled  and  curled  into  fantastic  forms;  now 
along  the  bank  of  an  offset  of  the  Ganges,  where  a 
ghastly  human  skeleton  was  bleaching  on  the  sand. 
The  air  blew  a  delightfully  cool  breeze,  when  we 
started;  but  the  sun,  which  rolled  up  from  the  haze- 
dimmed  horizon,  mild  enough  at  first,  beamed  down 
hotly  on  us,  at  the  end  of  a  nine-mile  ride.  Our 
own  tent,  sent  forward  the  previous  day,  was  not 
pitched ;  and  we  were  greeted  with  the  story  of  cart 
turned  over  in  the  night,  and  camp  furniture  smashed 
up.  Fortunately,  the  magistrate's  tent  was  ready; 
otherwise,  we  would  have  been  sorely  tried  with  the 
sun  before  getting  shelter  ready.  Mr.  Hanson  made 
us  welcome. 

Our  camp  is  located  in  a  pleasant  place,  although 
entirely  without  trees.  The  tents  are  pitched  near 
the  Ganges,  on  a  grassy  plain.  In  front,  at  our  feet, 
rolls  the  stream,  sacred  to  multiplied  millions  of 
souls,  and  which  has  been,  for  ages,  the  trust  and 
hope  of  unnumbered  millions  more,  now  gone  to 
the  eternal  world.  For  some  distance,  the  river 
comes  down  in  front  of  us,  and  then  bends  off,  just 
at  our  camp,  to  the  left,  and  winds  away,  between 
its  low,  sandy  banks.  Here  and  there,  a  boat  is 
lashed  to   the   shore,   along  which,   far  down   as  the 


150  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

eye  can  reach,  stand  the  little  grass  booths  of  the 
Brahmins,  who  are  present  to  receive  alms  from 
the  multitudes,  who  come  to  perform  religious  ablu- 
tion, during  this  great  bathing  festival. 

In  the  evening,  I  went  into  the  bazaar  and  native 
camping-place  to  preach;  and,  finding  a  group  of 
Brahmins  quarreling,  rode  up  to  them  as  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  congregation.  They  were  fighting  over 
the  right  to  a  strip  of  land,  running  down  to  the 
river.  The  Mela,  or  fair,  reaches  at  least  three 
miles  along  the  bank  of  the  Ganges.  For  three 
weeks  or  a  month  beforehand,  these  Brahmins  are 
present  to  mark  off  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  little 
portions  three  or  four  yards  long,  as  their  respect- 
ive places.  From  these  limits,  reaching  back  from 
the  river,  through  the  fair-ground,  they  dig  little 
trenches;  and  it  is  understood  that  all  who  come 
down  to  the  river,  within  the  boundaries  of  these 
trenches,  give  their  offerings  of  money,  or  whatever 
they  may  have,  to  the  Brahmins  seated  on  the  bank 
within  the  said  limits.  Over  these  demarkations, 
they  have  bitter  quarrels.  Sometimes,  during  the 
fair,  a  Brahmin  will  realize  as  much  as  five  hundred 
dollars  from  the  bathers;  although,  in  some  parts 
of  the  fair,  but  very  small  sums  are  received.  I 
appealed  to  the  men  who  were  quarreling  as  Brah- 
mins, who  claim  to  be  the  most  holy  caste  among 
the  Hindus,  to  recognize  the  fact  that,  although  they 
had  been  lingering  on  the  banks  of  their  sacred  river 
for  months,  and  bathing  daily  in  its  deified  stream, 
and  with  its  water  cooking  their  food,  and  making  it 
their  constant  drink,   still,  it  did  not  seem  to  have 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  15 1 

the  slightest  effect  in  checking  or  removing  the  evil 
impulses  of  their  hearts.  Gradually,  all  cooled  down. 
Even  a  furious  fellow,  who  was  foaming  at  the  mouth 
with  very  rage,  began  to  listen,  with  an  appearance 
of  soberness.  In  this  mood,  I  left  them  to  hsten  to 
the  words  of  exhortation  from  the  native  preachers, 
while  I  pushed  on  to  another  part  of  the  fair. 

Near  the  water's  edge,  on  the  white,  sandy  beach, 
T  found  a  few  men,  who  seemed  to  be  in  a  good 
place  for  a  quiet  talk.  Riding  up,  I  began  to  ques- 
tion them  on  the  object  of  their  coming  here,  and  to 
turn  their  minds  to  the  fact  that,  after  all  the  visits 
they  had  made  to  the  deified  river,  they  could  not 
recall  a  single  moral  benefit  ever  received.  A  group, 
somewhat  interested,  gathered  about  me.  Several 
times,  some  one  made  an  attempt  to  disperse  them, 
w4ien  it  was  seen  that  I  was  calling  in  question  their 
time-honored  religious  customs  and  rites.  At  last, 
a  hot-tempered,  bigoted  fellow  came  up,  and,  with 
great,  swelling  airs,  strode  into  the  crowd,  to  make 
it  appear  that  **  great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians. " 
He  drew  himself  up  before  me,  in  fancied  impor- 
tance, and,  with  a  dogmatic  flourish  of  his  right 
hand,  affirmed  that  Ganga  Jee  (the  Ganges)  is  a 
great  goddess,  to  whom  we  English  people  also  do 
reverence. 

**How?"  I  asked,  in  a  conciliatory  tone. 

**See  how  you  have  all  come  here,  too,"  said  he, 
pointing  to  the  tents  of  some  English  government 
officials,  who  are  present  at  the  fair. 

I  explained,  to  his  satisfaction,  that  they  are 
present   with   a   very   different   object   in   view   from 


152  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

worshiping  the  river.  He  then  ''went  off"  in  lav- 
ish praise  of  the  river,  touching  its  great  benefit 
to  man. 

"But,"  I  said,  ''grass,  also,  is  of  great  use  to 
man.     Why  not  worship  it?" 

"You  try  and  live  on  grass  four  days,  and 
you  will  see  of  wdiat  use  it  is  for  man,"  with  an 
air  of  triumph. 

"And  you  try  Ganges  Avater  for  four  days,  and 
see   how   useless   it   is   as   food." 

After  a  moment  of  silent  confusion,  he  ral- 
lied by  saying  that  the  Ganges  water  is  so  pure, 
that,  if  one  would  keep  it  for  a  hundred  years,  it 
would  not  breed  worms,  while  any  other  water,  in  a 
few  days,  would  be  full  of  them.  I  simply  asked 
the  man  not  to  be  deluded  by  any  such  follies,  as 
they  were  unworthy  the  intelligence  of  any  educated 
man,  as  he  pretended  to  be.  He  left,  and,  after  a 
few  closing  words,  directing  the  hearers  not  to  trust 
in  mere  water  for  salvation,  I  returned  to  the  tent, 
feeling  strangely  sad  at  the  power  idolatry  yet  has 
over  this  people. 

"Wholly  given  to  idolatry,"  seemed  so  true. 
In  a  peculiar  manner,  at  these  great  fairs,  where  a 
vast  multitude  is  drawn  together  by  one  mighty, 
idolatrous  impulse,  one  sees  and  feels  the  hold  that 
idolatry  yet  has  on  the  common  heart.  Thus,  when 
I  sat  down  in  the  tent,  I  felt  my  "spirit  stirred"  in 
me  as  never  before.  The  opposing  force  of  idol- 
atry seemed  so  mighty,  and  our  appliances  so 
weak.  Fast-falling  tears  came,  and,  for  some  time, 
I  could  not  refrain  from  weeping.     Comfort  came  in 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  1 53 

the  words,    ''Not  by  might,   nor  by  power,   but  by 
my  Spirit." 

Octobei'-  26. — Was  up  at  dayhght,  and,  after  a 
cup  of  coffee,  went  to  the  tent  of  the  native  help- 
ers, which,  for  more  convenient  access  to  the  people, 
they  have  pitched,  far  down  the  river,  in  the  midst 
of  the  immense  throng.  Our  camp  is  located  a 
short  distance  from  one  end,  as  we  could  hardly 
endure  living  in  such  a  crowd.  I  found  the  helpers 
still  in  the  tent;  and,  having  prayed  with  them,  we 
went  into  the  bazaar,  and  took  our  stand  in  front  of 
some  shops.  I  talked  for  a  short  time,  urging  upon 
the  crowd,  which  had  assembled,  the  uselessness  of 
bathing  in  the  Ganges,  in  the  hope  of  Avashing  away 
sin.  A  shop-keeper  left  his  shop,  and  came  forward 
to  present  his  viev/  of  worship.      Said  he, 

*'I  worship  the  sun.  It  is  the  source  of  all 
blessings." 

"You,  too,  then,  are  a  great  idolater." 

''But  you  English  people,  also,  worship  the  sun, 
and  have  a  day  set  apart  for  it." 

"Not  now.  We  have  learned  the  truth  from 
Christ,  and  no  longer  worship  the  sun." 

"Why  not?" 

"Suppose  you  hang  up  a  lamp,  in  your  shop, 
to  give  light  to  your  purchasers,  and  some  one 
should  come  along,  and,  instead  of  saluting  you, 
should  salute  your  lamp.  What  would  you  think 
of  it?" 

The  amused  look  of  all  indicated  that  they  saw 
the  absurdity  of  the  thing;  and  I  then  carried  out 
the   illustration,    by   showing   them   that   the   sun   is 


154  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

only  a  vast  lamp,  which  God  has  hung  out  to  give 
us  light  and  heat. 

An  excited  Brahmin  came  up,  who  seemed  to  be 
enraged  at  our  thus  standing  and  teaching  a  new 
religion.  He  was  one  of  those  who  have  come  to 
receive  alms  on  the  bank  of  the  river;  and,  knowing 
that  through  our  teaching  the  hope  of  gain  from  the 
bathers  is  lessened,  no  doubt  he  was  all  the  more 
vexed.  He  lost  all  control  of  himself,  and  began  to 
use  vile  and  abusive  language.  When  we  refused 
to  talk  with  him,  he  turned  away  and  left.  The 
native  helpers  remarked  that  he  was  in  a  partial 
state  of  intoxication,  from  smoking  a  drug  very 
commonly  used.  Smoking  is  almost  universal  here; 
and,  very  often,  the  natives  mix  opium,  or  some 
intoxicating  drug,  with  the  tobacco. 

In  the  evening,  took  another  turn  in  the  bazaar, 
with  the  native  helpers,  in  trying  to  impress  the 
multitudes  with  the  folly  of  idolatry,  and  to  set  forth 
the  hope  there  is  in  Christ.  The  bazaar  reaches  at 
least  three  miles  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and 
consists  of  two  nearly  parallel  streets  or  lanes,  with 
rows  of  shops  on  each  side.  The  shops  are  simply 
stands,  exposed  in  the  open  air,  or  under  temporary 
awnings,  and  present  for  sale  every  article  usually 
found  in  the  cities.  Between  these  streets,  the  na- 
tives are  crowded  by  tens  of  thousands,  very  closely, 
in  little  grass  booths,  or  canvas  tents.  All  day  long, 
they  parade  up  and  down  these  streets.  In  this 
mixed  crowd,  this  perfect  ''vanity  fair,"  all  classes 
of  people  in  the  country  are  represented,  from  the 
.  old,   bigoted,    orthodox   Hindu,   who   verily  believes 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  1 55 

the  Ganges  can  cure  all  maladies,  moral  and  phys- 
ical, to  the  sharp,  money-loving  shop-keeper,  who 
cares  only  for  his  wares,  and  the  thief  and  vagabond, 
who  come  only  to  steal  and  work  evil.  The  sneer- 
ing Mohammedan,  too,  is  here,  pursuing  his  own 
interests  of  pleasure  or  trade.  The  women  chat 
and  sing,  in  the  little  tents  or  booths,  or  in  groups 
in  the  open  air,  many  of  them  enjoying  a  freedom 
granted  only  on  such  occasions.  Women,  who,  for 
months,  do  not  go  beyond  their  own  thresholds, 
here  pass  among  the  public  throng.  Up  and  down 
these  streets,  amid  the  crowds,  we  take  our  stand  to 
preach.  The  fair  lasts  about  a  week,  closing  with 
the  morning  of  the  full  moon.  It  affords  a  good 
opportunity  to  sell  religious  tracts  and  books,  with 
Scriptures.  We  carry  a  good  supply  with  us,  when 
we  go  out  to  preach,  often  selling  a  number  at  a 
time.  Having  talked  ourselves  tired  and  hoarse,  in 
the  dusty  crowds,  we  returned  to  our  tents  for 
the  night. 

October  27.  —  In  the  morning,  was  off  to  the 
bazaar,  just  as  the  lurid  sun  was  rolling  up  from 
the  murky  haze  so  peculiar  to  an  Indian  horizon 
in  dry  weather.  I  went,  first,  to  the  tent  of  the 
native  helpers,  where  we  engaged  in  prayer  for 
divine  aid  to  preach  the  word  in  demonstration  of 
the  Spirit  and  of  power;  then,  repairing  to  the 
thronged  bazaar,  we  took  our  stand  at  two  points, 
and  urged  the  claims  of  the  Christian  religion  on 
the  crowds  who  came  and  went.  The  audiences 
to  which  we  speak,  at  such  times,  are  constantly 
changing;  but  few  remain  during  the  entire  time  we 


156  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

continue  talking,  which  is  often  three  hours.  We 
speak  by  turns,  relieving  each  other,  as  it  is  very- 
tiresome,  talking  to  a  crowd,  in  the  noise  and  dust. 
Our  hearers,  in  the  morning,  listened  very  well. 

During  the  mid-hours  of  the  day,  a  strong  wind 
blew  down  the  river,  which  filled  the  air,  much  to 
our  discomfort,  with  a  haze  of  fine  sand.  It  grew 
calmer  in  the  evening;  and  I  met  the  helpers,  again, 
in  the  bazaar.  Our  presence  called  up  a  crowd,  in 
which  were  two  pugnacious  Brahmins.  One  of  them 
was  the  most  unreasonable,  rattling  talker  I  ever 
heard.  He  asked  me  for  the  proof  of  Christ's  exist- 
ence, and  tried  to  compel  me  to  rest  my  proof  on 
the  fact  of  having  seen  him  myself.  I  tried  to  show 
him  that  but  a  small  part  of  the  objects  of  his  own 
confident  belief  had  been  subjected  to  this  test,  and 
referred  him,  for  illustration,  to  the  perfect  certainty 
of  particular  kings  having  lived,  and  his  complete 
trust  in  the  fact,  without  his  having  seen  them ;  but 
he  rattled  and  talked,  and  talked  and  rattled,  at  such 
a  bewildering  rate,  that  I  gave  up  in  despair.  He 
evidently  caught  the  drift  and  pertinency  of  my 
attempted  argument;  for  he  suddenly  slipped  away, 
and  was  lost  in  the  throng.  The  other  Brahmin  was 
more  calm  and  reasonable,  but  without  much  reason 
for  the  singular  position  he  took.  He  affirmed  that, 
to  all  who  believe  the  Ganges  to  be  a  saving  power, 
it  is  a  saving  power.  This  was  a  reply  to  my  state- 
ment that  thousands  of  thieves,  robbers,  liars,  and 
murderers  bathe  in  the  Ganges,  and  return  straight- 
way to  their  wickedness.  I  urged  that  mere  belief 
can  not  transform  realities — as  that  believing  stone  is 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  15/ 

bread,  will  not  turn  real  stone  Into  real  bread,  which 
will  relieve  the  hunger  of  a  starving  man;  neither 
would  believing  an  inanimate,  insensate  river  to  be 
a  saving  god,  turn  it  into  a  Savior  from  sin  and 
guilt.  He  would  not  stay  to  hear  and  feel  the  full 
force  of  what  I  was  trying  to  make  out,  but,  catch- 
ing the  drift  of  it,  gave  his  salam,  and  turned  good- 
humoredly  away.  After  talking,  by  turns,  for  a 
long  time,  and  selling  a  number  of  tracts  and  por- 
tions of  Scripture,  we  returned  from  the  literal  dust 
of  the  battle-field  to  our  tents,  for  the  night. 

October  28. — Awoke  early,  to  the  sound  of  drums, 
and  the  monotonous  singing  of  natives,  coming  to 
the  fair.  Most  of  them  come  in  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, apparently  making  their  march  in  the  night. 
On  they  came,  drumming  and  singing,  happy  once 
more  to  see  the  sacred  river.  Rude  carts,  full  of 
women  and  children,  fantastic  native  cars  and  char- 
iots, riders  on  horses,  camels,  and  elephants,  all 
moved  heavily  over  the  sandy  roads,  and  poured  in 
to  the  great  fair.  I  joined  the  native  preachers, 
in  the  bazaar,  where  we  took  a  stand  upon  a  slight 
elevation,  and  began  to  talk.  These  thousands  have 
come  to  worship  the  Ganges;  and,  in  our  discourses 
in  the  bazaar,  they  are  constantly  referring  us  to 
their  wonderful  god,  the  river  which  flows  near  by, 
and  we  as  constantly  attack  it,  as  perfectly  useless 
for  the  purpose  of  purifying  the  soul  from  sin. 
We  affirm  that  no  one  is  ever  conscious  of  having 
obtained  any  moral  improvement  from  bathing  in 
and  worshiping  it.  It  is  a  common  saying,  among 
the    Hindus,    that,    if    any    one    simply    forms    the 


158     *  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

resolution  to  visit  the  Ganges,  the  sins  of  years  are 
remitted;  and,  by  actually  bathing  in  the  river,  ages 
of  sin  are  blotted  out.  This  statement  has  reference 
to  sin  that  may  have  been  accumulated  during  sev- 
eral births  of  the  soul. 

We  found,  in  one  Hindu,  a  most  perfect  speci- 
men of  a  native  wrangler.  He  was  singularly  tricky 
and  wily,  in  all  his  talk.  His  most  successful  fallacy, 
as  I  saw,  in  his  talk  with  the  native  helpers,  was 
that  of  *' shifting  ground."  When  any  of  his  posi- 
tions was  closely  pressed,  or  rendered  untenable, 
Avith  remarkable  tact,  he  shifted  the  discussion  to 
some  neighboring  point.  I  asked  his  attention,  for  a 
short  time,  and,  once  for  all,  made  him  define  clearly 
his  position,  and  state,  categorically,  what  he  did  be- 
lieve. This,  after  some  attempt  at  evasion,  he  was 
obliged  to  do;  and  the  conclusion  was  soon  reached 
that  there  is  one  true  God,  and  that  there  must  be  a 
true  faith  and  correct  worship  of  God.  I  then  gave 
him  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  and  asked  him 
to  compare  it  with  all  the  other  religious  books  he 
knew  of,  and  form  an  opinion  as  to  its  merits. 

Having  talked  a  long  time,  I  returned  to  my 
tent,  at  ten  o'clock,  for  breakfast.  The  wind  rose 
again,  and  blew  furiously  till  evening.  The  quiver- 
ing of  the  tent-poles,  the  flapping  of  canvas,  the 
moaning  of  ropes,  and  the  dust-dimmed  air,  re- 
minded me  of  a  stormy  day  at  sea,  when  the 
driving  wind  fills  the  air  with  foam  and  spray. 

In  the  evening,  we  returned  to  the  bazaar.  Alex- 
ander opened  our  message  to  the  crowd  that  soon 
gathered  about  us.     A  group  of  Brahmins,  from  a 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  1 59 

town  near  by,  were  remarkably  acquiescent  in  nearly 
all  that  was  said.  Meanwhile,  the  rattling  fellow, 
who  annoyed  us  so  much  yesterday,  came  up.  It 
was  my  turn  to  talk,  and  I  took  him  again  in  hand. 
He  was  less  noisy  than  yesterday,  and  much  more 
disposed  to  be  reasonable.  He  urged,  as  an  objec- 
tion to  Christ's  divinity,  that,  if  he  is  all-powerful, 
why  had  not  all  been  born  in  a  Christian  country? 
Why  were  not  all  Christians  long  ago?  "For  the 
same  reason,"  I  replied,  **that  ten  thousand  other 
things  do  not  occur  by  whimsical,  arbitrary  power, 
but  by  law  and  by  means."  This  point  well  illus- 
trated and  dropped,  he  urged  that,  when  any  one 
could  see  the  salvation  of  some  soul  by  Christ,  he 
would  acknowledge  it  as  a  proof  of  his  being  the 
only  true  Savior.  The  Hindu's  idea  of  salvation  is 
an  escape  from  transmigration,  and  a  happy  passage 
to  bikitnt,  a  vague  paradise.  We  replied  with  a 
definition  of  salvation  as  deliverance  from  sin,  and 
remarked  that  hundreds  and  thousands  could  be 
pointed  out,  whom  Christ  had  delivered  from  sin, 
their  holy  lives  being  the  indisputable  proof  of  the 
fact.  They  could  point  out  no  one  whom  Ganga 
Jee  (the  Ganges)  had  saved  thus.  This  was  a  kind 
of  argument  for  which  the  fellow  was  not  prepared; 
and,  in  an  excited  manner,  he  railed  out  that  it  is 
not  a  good  work,  going  about  the  country,  destroy- 
ing the  faith  of  people.  "Not  if  the  faith  is  a  bad, 
foohsh  one?"  I  asked.  To  this  he  made  no  reply, 
but  pushed  through  the  crowd,  and  went  away. 

It  was  night,  and  the  long  line  of  shops,  on  either 
side,  far  down  the  bazaar,  with  their  little  oil  lamps, 


l60  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

reminded  me  of  a  street  lighted  with  gas.  We 
learned  that  some  haughty  rajah  was  taken  up,  and 
bound  over,  to  keep  the  peace,  by  a  large  sum  of 
money.  He  had  been  showing  his  pride  and  haugh- 
tiness by  causing  some  of  the  government  sepoys  to 
be  beaten.  His  pride  was  considerably  humbled  by 
being  ordered  before  the  English  magistrate,  and  bail 
demanded  for  his  good  conduct.  Native  princes,  and 
men  of  rank  or  wealth,  are  fond  of  making  a  display 
in  these  fairs. 

October  29. — Was  up  before  sunrise;  and,  after  a 
good  cup  of  tea  and  some  plantains,  I  pulled  down 
the  river,  in  a  canoe,  to  the  place  where  the  tent  of 
the  native  helpers  is  pitched,  nearly  two  miles  below 
our  camp.  They  were  on  the  bank,  waiting,  having 
seen  the  canoe  coming  from  a  distance.  I  sent  it 
back,  by  a  coolie,  with  an  order  to  bring  my  horse, 
not  being  disposed  to  try  rowing  to  camp  against 
the  stream.  We  went  into  the  tent,  and  engaged  in 
prayer  for  aid  in  preaching  the  Word.  Abraham  is 
laid  by,  for  the  time,  with  a  very  sore  nose. 

Once  in  the  bazaar,  a  crowd  Avas  soon  collected. 
We  try  to  make  the  burden  of  our  discourses  rest 
on  two  great  points — the  sinfulness  of  the  human 
heart,  and  the  salvation  provided  by  Christ.  The 
natives  have  very  imperfect  views  of  sin  and  their 
great  need  of  a  competent  Savior.  The  endless 
questions  and  objections,  proposed  by  the  hearers, 
render  it  difficult  to  ''keep  to  the  text,"  so  that  a 
discourse  be  not  frittered  away,  to  little  purpose,  in 
the  vague,  indefinite  round  where  their  questions 
would   lead   us.     The   query  was   put.   Why  do   the 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  l6l 

English  worship  the  sun,  and  have  an  appointed  day 
for  this  worship?  The  trace  of  abandoned  idolatry, 
in  the  word  Sunday,  was  explained.  An  apologist 
for  idolatry  and  polytheism  argued  that,  just  as  in 
our  government  there  are  sundry  grades  of  officers, 
by  whom  the  government  Is  carried  on  and  the  ends 
of  justice  secured,  and  just  as  the  people  secure  the 
ends  of  law  through  these  officers,  so  they  attain  in- 
tercourse with  Deity,  and  secure  the  ends  of  relig- 
ion, through  obedience  and  submission  to  the  "gods 
many  and  lords  many"  of  the  Hindu  pantheon.  I 
urged,  in  reply,  that  there  is  no  parallel  between 
human  and  divine  things.  In  this  case;  that  human 
finiten^ss  necessitates  what  divine  greatness  does  not 
require;  that  God  Is  every-where  accessible  to  our 
penitence  and  worship,  without  the  Intervention  of  in- 
numerable inferior  divinities.  The  point  was  yielded 
at  once,  although  an  Ingenious  apology  had  been 
presented,  which,  too,  might  have  been  much  more 
strongly  urged. 

While  we  were  talking,  troops  of  dancing-girls, 
with  the  ** impudent  faces"  mentioned  in  Proverbs, 
passed  and  repassed  us,  trying  to  attract  the  crowd 
we  had  collected.  They  are  always  accompanied  by 
men,  with  little  drums  and  tambourines  and  weak- 
toned  stringed  instruments,  who  play  and  sing,  while 
the  dancers  ''trip  on  the  light,  fantastic  toe,"  wheel- 
ing and  swaying,  now  backward,  now  forward,  now 
round  and  round,  generally  awkward  and  unseemly 
enough,  but  often  with  a  not  ungraceful  motion. 
In  the  middle  of  the  street,  they  strike  up  their 
music,  swing  off  in  the  dance,  and  frequently  attract 

14 


1 62  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

large  crowds,  who  give  them  money  for  the  perform- 
ance. The  dancers  envied  us  our  crowd,  but  could 
not  draw  it  away. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  visited  a  fakeer  down  on  the 
sand,  by  the  water's  edge,  of  whose  learning  and 
sanctity  I  had  heard  in  the  crowds  of  the  bazaar. 
I  found  him  sitting  in  a  little  straw  booth;  and  a 
splendid-looking  fellow  he  was,  with  his  herculean 
frame  and  massive  limbs,  fine  oval  cranium,  and 
really  benignant  face.  He  was  sitting  almost  en- 
tirely naked,  and  entered,  at  once,  into  pleasant 
conversation.  I  found  him  to  belong  to  a  class  of 
mendicants,  who  profess  to  have  entirely  abandoned 
the  world,  and  are  living  in  complete  contemplation 
of  the  Deity.  The  conversation  revealed  in  him  a 
fine  mind,  and  well  versed  in  the  ancient  lore  of  the 
Hindus.  He  talked  only  Sanskrit,  and  our  conver- 
sation was  conducted  through  an  interpreter. 

Octobei'  30. — Went  early  to  the  bazaar,  and  found 
Abraham  already  at  work,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd. 
We  generally  get  a  stool  from  some  shop  as  a  pul- 
pit. I  often  sit  on  my  horse,  in  the  midst  of  the 
throng,  thus  securing  a  better  elevation  for  speaking. 
An  interrogator,  called  out  from  the  crowd, 

''What  benefit  will  we  receive,  if  we  become 
Christians?" 

"What  kind  of  benefit  do  you  want?" 

''Food  and  clothing  and  lands." 

"But  do  you  crave  no  other  good?" 

"What  else  do  we  need?" 

The  wants  of  the  soul  were  mentioned — its  need 
of  purity,   and   direction,  in  the  way  to   heaven.     It 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  163 

was  urged  that  the  Hindu's  rehgion  suppHes  all  this. 
I  appealed  to  the  fact  of  their  blindness — the  confu- 
sion of  their  religious  notions,  and  their  acknowl- 
edged wickedness.  To  this  the  wicked  conduct  of 
some  Europeans  in  India  was  opposed.  A  long  talk 
put  this  whole  subject  in  a  light  that  seemed  to  be 
somewhat  satisfactory  to  the  hearers.  The  immo- 
rality of  some  European  nominal  Christians,  in  this 
country,  is  a  fearful  stumbling-block  to  inquirers. 
Through  them,  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed 
among  the  heathen.  Returned  to  the  tent,  with  a 
severe  headache,  from  exertion  in  the  dust  and  hot 
sunshine. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  passed  over  to  the  sand-bar, 
to  see  my  friend,  the  fakeer,  again.  A  long  talk 
with  him  showed  his  familiarity  with  the  most  an- 
cient and  perfect  system  of  Hindu  philosophy.  He 
is  a  Vedantist.  God,  he  said,  is  eternal  and  per- 
fect. By  his  fiat,  the  universe  was  developed,  in 
this  order:  Space  or  ether,  air,  fire,  water,  earth, 
then  animate  beings.  Depravity  is  the  result  of 
ignorance.  Restoration  to  purity  is  to  be  effected 
by  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  and  the  infliction 
of  punishment.  Final  salvation  is  absorption  into 
Deity.  I  opposed  the  real  existence  of  moral  evil 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  soul  being  a  temporary  ema- 
nation from  a  pure  God,  and  urged  and  illustrated 
the  inefficiency  of  mere  knowledge  and  punishment 
to  correct  the  depraved  soul.  I  pulled  back,  in  a 
canoe,  to  camp. 

October  31. — Early  in  the  morning,  a  man  came 
from   the   native   helpers'   tent,   and   reported   that   a 


1 64  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

thief  had  paid  them  a  visit  in  the  night,  carrying 
away  several  articles  of  clothing  and  a  pan-box. 
Pan  is  a  kind  of  leaf,  which  is  rolled  up,  with 
spices,  and  chewed,  after  the  manner  of  a  certain 
nasty  weed. 

Mrs.  Scott  wishing  to  see  the  fair,  which  is  now 
at  its  culmination,  as  this  is  the  great  bathing-day, 
we  secured  and  mounted  a  very  large  elephant,  tak- 
ing Elma  and  Alice,  and  passed  down  one  street 
and  back  the  other.  Such  a  complete  "vanity  fair!" 
Crowds  upon  crowds  paraded  the  streets,  in  all  con- 
ceivable dresses  and  colors.  A  confused  humdrum 
of  voices  and  rude  instruments  of  music  rose  on 
the  dusty  air,  like  the  sound  of  many  waters.  Here 
and  there,  along  the  bazaar,  closely  packed  groups 
were  standing,  gazing  at  some  spectacle.  In  one 
place,  a  grotesque  harlequin  w^as  performing  odd 
movements;  in  another,  fantastic  fakeers  were 
drumming  and  singing;  in  another,  dancing-boys 
swayed  and  whirled.  Groups  of  dancing-girls,  also, 
had  drawn  their  crowds.  Wretched  beggars  wan- 
dered up  and  down,  crying  for  alms.  Elephants  in 
rich  housings,  gayly  caparisoned  horses,  and  awk- 
ward camels,  with  bells  on  their  necks,  all  were 
carrying  their  riders  through  the  noisy  throng.  It 
was  a  multitudinous,  multifarious  mass  of  life,  with 
commingled  motion,  flowing  up  and  down  that 
dusty  bazaar,  A  pony  became  frightened  at  our 
elephant,  and,  dashing  into  the  crowd,  knocked 
down  and  trampled  a  poor  little  boy.  Turning  the 
elephant,  for  a  moment,  down  to  the  bank  of  the 
river,    we    beheld   the   bathers;    and   what   a   scene! 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  16$ 

Far  up  and  down,  that  winding  shore  was  hned  with 
the  bathers,  coming  from  and  going  to  the  deified 
water.  Tens  of  thousands,  of  both  sexes  and  of 
every  age,  were  in  the  stream.  Old  people  tottered 
into  the  water;  the  young  sported.  Crying  infants 
were  plunged  beneath  the  waves,  and  females  were 
shamefully  exposed.  Returning  toward  the  tents, 
we  looked  into  the  gaudy  shops,  and  asked  the 
price  of  a  few  articles  needed. 

A  Brahmin  visited  me,  at  the  tent,  who  seemed 
to  be  thoroughly  skeptical  touching  the  religion  of 
the  Hindus.  For  some  time,  he  has  been  thinking 
over  the  character  and  claims  of  Christianity,  and 
seems  now  to  believe  it  to  be  the  true  religion.  He 
conforms,  he  says,  to  the  popular  religious  customs 
of  his  people,  to  avoid  giving  offense  and  provoking 
annoyance.  In  every  country,  many  keep  up  the 
popular  religious  ceremonies,  long  after  the  ancestral 
faith  has  been  totally  undermined.  This  man  seemed 
restrained,  by  family  ties,  from  an  open  profession 
of  Christianity.  By  becoming  a  Christian,  he  would 
lose  his  means  of  support,  while  we  can  furnish  no 
sustenance  for  him  in  such  a  case.  In  numerous  in- 
stances, genuine  inquirers  stumble  at  this  difficulty. 
It  is  a  real  one,  and  will  remain  so  until  the  non- 
Christian  population  cease  to  combine  in  depriving 
converts  of  their  means  of  livelihood. 

In.  the  afternoon,  I  rowed  over  to  the  island,  or 
large  sand-bar,  for  another  interview  with  the  fakeer. 
Our  conversation  turned  on  the  question  of  salvation 
from  sin.  I  asked  him  how,  in  his  opinion,  man 
could    be    saved    from   his   depravity.      He   replied: 


1 66  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

"By  knowledge.  I  would  have  all  study  the 
Vedas  and  acquire  useful  knowledge  till  thirty,  and 
then  let  all  marry  who  might  desire  to  do  so." 

**This  is  prospective.  How  can  the  ignorant  vil- 
lager of  the  present,  who  may  be  fifty  years  old,  be 
saved  from  sin?" 

"By  punishment.  Place  before  him  the  law  of 
rectitude,  and  punish  him  when  he  breaks  it.  He 
w^ill  thus  fear,  and  learn  righteousness." 

"But  this  is  like  telling  a  weak,  sick  man  to 
stand,  and  then  beating  him  because  he  can  not." 

I  then  showed  him,  at  some  length,  from  the 
history  of  the  world,  that  there  is  no  power  in 
human  wisdom  and  learning  and  legislation  to  purify 
the  depraved  soul.  I  tried  to  make  plain  the  fact, 
that,  when  "the  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God, 
it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to 
save  them  that  believe"  in  Christ.  The  man  did 
not  seem  to  lose  confidence  in  his  theory,  however; 
and  I  proposed  another  visit,  when  I  would  present 
more  fully  the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation  from  sin. 

Went  into  the  dust-clouded  bazaar,  in  the  even- 
ing, again.  One  of  the  native  helpers,  Sikandar- 
Mirza,  was  quite  hoarse,  and  unfit  to  talk.  We 
found  large  crowds  of  hearers,  as  usual,  and  kept 
up  preaching  till  dark.  At  night,  a  rajah  sent  a 
lot  of  fire-rworks  to  our  camp,  as  a  compliment  to 
Mr.  Carmichael,  the  district  magistrate.  We  had  a 
brilliant  display  of  rockets,  fire-balls,  wheels,  flower- 
pots, and  many  other  glowing,  flaming,  scintillat- 
ing, whizzing  contrivances  of  the  pyrotechnic  art. 
They  flashed,    darted,   w^hirled,    and   blazed,    till  our 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  1 6/ 

bewildered  eyes  were  quite  weary.  We  were  treated 
to  several  loud  explosions,  in  imitation  of  cannon. 
Six  or  eight  beautiful  little  hot-air  balloons  were  sent 
up,  which  gracefully  rose  away  against  the  moon-lit 
sky,  save  one  that  soon  took  fire,  and,  falling,  was 
within  an  inch  of  setting  one  of  our  tents  ablaze. 

Sunday,  November  i. — In  the  morning,  I  went 
to  the  native  helpers'  tent,  and  engaged  with  them 
in  prayer,  before  going  into  the  bazaar  to  preach. 
Crowds  of  bathers  were  still  performing  religious 
ablutions,  up  and  down  the  winding  river.  In  the 
bazaar,  we  had  throngs  of  hearers;  but,  as  the  great 
bathing-day  is  over,  the  vast  multitudes  that  have 
been  dwelling,  for  some  days,  in  booths,  are  now  in 
motion.  The  trade  of  the  shop-keepers  is  more  act- 
ive, while  many  are  setting  out  for  home.  At  12 
o'clock,  I  preached,  in  our  tent,  to  the  native  help- 
ers, from  2  Tim.  ii,  24:  "And  the  servant  of  the 
Lord  must  not  strive,"  etc.  I  tried  to  impress  on 
them  the  importance  of  a  proper  spirit  in  preaching 
to  their  countrymen.  They  often  sadly  fail  here, 
through  the  insults  and  anno}'ance  brought  to  bear 
upon  them. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  made  a  final  visit  to  the 
fakeer,  over  on  the  sand-bar.  I  had  heard  his  the- 
ory of  the  fall,  and  his  plan  of  salvation.  In  turn, 
I  presented  to  him  the  Christian  teaching  on  these 
great  subjects.  I  showed  him  that  Ave  are  rescued 
from  sin,  not  by  a  plan  of  education  and  punish- 
ment, as  he  proposed,  but  by  a  wonderful  scheme 
of  love — the  offspring  of  divine  love,  and  the  inspirer 
of   love   in  us — a   love  which    melts   and   molds   our 


1 68  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

hearts  for  a  life  of  love  to  God  and  man.  This  all 
seemed  new  to  him.  I  left  a  copy  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament with  him,  requesting  his  careful  perusal  of  it, 
and  that  he  mark  the  love  with  which  it  is  filled,  and 
which  it  inspired  in  those  who  received  and  trusted 
in  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  * 

Novembei^  2. — Was  up  before  daylight,  and  started 
a  cart  forward  to  a  village  nine  miles  distant.  Went 
early  into  the  bazaar,  for  a  last  effort,  during  this 
fair,  at  urging  the  people  to  turn  to  Christ,  the  true 
Savior.  Although  the  streets  were  thinned,  from 
the  number  that  had  already  gone  away,  yet  we 
found  crowds  of  willing  hearers.  We  had  already 
worn  out  our  voices,  trying  to  make  ourselves  heard 
in  the  noisy,  surging  throng  assembled  here  for  the 
last  week,  and  so  contented  ourselves  chiefly  with 
selling  books,  tracts,  and  portions  of  Scripture. 
Many,  who  were  just  leaving,  were  glad  to  pay  the 
small  price  asked. 

At  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  started  for 
Bara,  nine  miles  distant,  the  village  to  which  a  tent 
had  been  sent  forward.  Mr.  Carmichael's  camp  was 
located  in  the  same  place.  He  had  very  kindly 
placed  a  couple  of  elephants  at  our  disposal ;  and  we 
sent  our  horses  on  by  the  native  grooms,  and  used 
the  elephants  in  preference,  as  they  would  more 
completely  lift  us  above  the  cloud  of  dust  that  rose 
perpetually  from  the  road,  filled  with  men  and  ani- 
mals, moving  homeward  from  the  fair.  Mrs. .  Scott 
took  Alice  on  one  elephant,  and  I  took  Elma  on  the 
other.  We  rode  in  high  cane-worked  hunting-how- 
dahs,    which   rocked   and   swayed,    from    the   heavy, 


CAMP  ON  THE  GANGES.  1 69 

swinging  gait  of  the  elephants,  in  a  most  wearisome 
manner.  Shortly  after  starting,  we  passed  a  long 
line  of  lepers,  sitting  by  the  wayside.  As  usual, 
with  outstretched  hands,  they  set  up  a  piteous  wail' 
for  alms.  Some  of  them  had  lost  their  fingers  and 
toes  from  the  terrible  disease.  I  distributed  a  quan- 
tity of  pice  (a  coin  in  value  a  little  less  than  a 
cent)  which  I  had  by  me.  We  found  the  road  full 
of  people,  with  many  kinds  of  vehicles  and  beasts 
of  burden.  Several  carts  were  passed,  which  had 
broken  down,  while  the  occupants,  in  a  woe-begone 
mood,  were  sitting  by  the  road-side.  We  reached 
the  tents  after  dark.  The  thoughtful  magistrate  had 
a  tray  of  delicious  tea,  with  bread  and  butter,  await- 
ing us  in  our  tent.  All  this  was  most  refreshing, 
after  a  wearisome,  dusty  ride.  We  dined  with  him, 
after  scouring  away  the  "dust  of  travel." 

November  3. — Was  waked,  early  in  the  morning, 
by  the  yelping  of  Mr.  Carmichael's  hounds.  Many 
government  officers  in  this  country  keep  packs  of 
hounds  for  the  chase,  as  they  march  about  the 
country.  We  started  early  for  Budaon,  the  chil- 
dren in  a  palankeen,  Mrs.  Scott  on  her  pony,  and  I 
on  foot.  Three  miles  brought  us  to  a  good  stone 
road,  leading  home,  where  we  found  our  buggy 
awaiting  us.  A  sharp  drive  of  five  miles  landed  us 
at  the  mission-house,  which  seemed  gloomy  enough, 
after  the  activity  and  sunshine  of  camp  life. 

15 


170  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


VIII. 

TO  "CAMP-MEETING." 

NOVEMBER  14. — A  district  camp-meeting  had 
been  appointed  to  begin  on  the  20th  of  this 
month,  near  Zilhar,  a  town  sixty  miles  distant  from 
Budaon.  Having  sent  my  camp  a  few  miles  in  that 
direction,  intending  to  make  the  distance  myself,  by 
a  series  of  marches,  itinerating  and  preaching  in  the 
villages  by  the  way,  I  took  Mrs.  Scott  and  our  little 
girls  to  Bareilly,  for  a  visit  with  the  missionary  ladies 
there.  She  was  to  go  to  the  camp-meeting  by  an- 
other route.  These  visits  of  missionaries  are  delight- 
ful privileges  to  those  who,  for  months,  are  deprived 
of  the  fellowship  of  their  own  country-people  and 
co-laborers. 

From  Bareilly,  I  returned  directly  to  camp,  stop- 
ping midway,  for  the  night,  in  a  little  mud  house. 
When  I  reached  the  place,  I  felt  so  weary,  from  the 
sun  and  a  long  drive,  that  I  threw  myself  down  on 
the  low  couch,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  was  fast 
asleep.  I  had  intended  to  rest  but  for  a  moment, 
and  then  arrange  myself  for  the  night.  Morpheus 
was  master,  and  a  good,  long  nap  intervened,  before 
I  awoke.  I  was  glad  to  find  my  money  safe;  for  I 
had  carelessly  left  it  on  the  bed,  when  I  lay  down. 
A  good   night's   rest,   and   I  was  awaked   by  the 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  171 

boisterous  neighing  of  one  of  my  horses,  which  was 
left  behind,  while  the  other  went  forward  as  a  relay 
in  reaching  camp.  A  coolie  set  off,  with  my  bed- 
ding on  his  head.  A  sharp  drive  of  four  miles,  over 
a  good  stone  road,  brought  me  to  my  second  horse, 
where,  taking  the  saddle,  I  dashed  across  the  coun- 
try to  the  tents,  making  speed  to  get  in  before  the 
sun  would  become  hot.  Away  I  went,  now  through 
the  thirsty  wheat-fields,  where  the  cultivators,  with 
the  regular  swash,  swash  of  their  baskets,  threw  up 
water,  from  ponds,  to  irrigate  the  parched  ground; 
now  through  low  jungle,  anon  getting  a  pluck  from 
a  thorn  and  a  rap  from  a  branch,  where  many  a  bird 
whirred  into  the  air,  and  the  green  parrots,  scream- 
ing, sped  away.  I  was  hot  and  dusty,  and  abraded, 
from  unaccustomed  riding,  when  I  reached  camp, 
after  nine  o'clock.  A  simple  breakfast  of  cJiapatees 
and  tea  refreshed  me  much,  after  a  ten  miles'  ride. 

At  midday,  the  wind  rose,  and  the  tents  were 
rendered  very  uncomfortable,  from  the  driving  dust. 
I  found  abundant  enjoyment  in  my  pen  and  a  box 
of  books.  In  the  absence  of  wife  and  children,  and 
surrounded  only  by  this,  to  us,  in  many  things,  in- 
comprehensible race,  these  books  and  the  pen,  with 
the  presence  of  Him  who  said,  **Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,"  afford  abundant  happiness.  The  na- 
tive helpers,  Alexander  and  Abraham,  have  been 
here  for  several  days,  and  report  that  they  have  vis- 
ited twelve  of  the  surrounding  villages. 

In  the  evening,  we  walked  to  a  village  near  by, 
and  preached  to  a  number  of  hearers,  in  a  thresh- 
ing-floor.    Just  now,  the  villagers  are  threshing  and 


1/2  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

garnering  their  warm-weather  crop.  Our  most  nu- 
merous and  attentive  congregations  are  found  at 
the  threshing-floors,  which  are  usually  situated  just 
outside  of  the  village.  We  go  right  in  among  the 
piles  of  grain  and  chaff,  where  some  are  treading 
the  sheaves  with  oxen,  and  others  winnowing,  by 
casting  the  mingled  grain  and  chaff  into  the  air, 
and  present  the  heavenly  message.  The  rural,  or 
village,  population,  are  very  largely  cultivators;  and 
the  threshing-floor  often  affords  encouraging  congre- 
gations. The  workmen  are  present,  and  listen,  as 
they  turn  the  patient  oxen  round  and  round  on  the 
crisp  sheaves,  or  manipulate  the  winnowing  grain, 
stopping,  now  and  then,  for  greater  attention,  as 
some  more  striking  point  is  presented.  Other  villa- 
gers come  up,  and,  before  the  conversation  closes, 
many  have  heard  the  word  of  life.  We  had  a  quiet 
hearing  in  this  place. 

At  night,  we  went  to  the  chaupal  of  Hatnepoor, 
our  camp-village,  where  we  found  a  few  hearers. 
Among  them  was  a  son  of  the  village  zemindar, 
who  showed  himself  to  be  a  frank  and  apparently 
honest-minded  young  man.  I  felt  my  heart  drawn 
toward  him. 

November  15. — When  the  sun  mellowed  the  cool 
morning  air,  we  walked  to  Mosumpoor,  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  camp.  A  congregation  of  some  forty 
villagers  assembled  in  a  threshing-floor,  where  we 
took  a  seat.  Near  by,  a  "strange  woman"  had 
drawn  up  the  vehicle  in  which  she  travels  about  the 
country,  and  spread  her  little  tent.  She  had  been 
here,  we  learned,  for  several  days,  and  belongs  to  a 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  173 

caste  of  people  among  whom  the  most  incredible 
prostitution  exists.  How  inconceivably  depraved  it 
seems  that  a  father  would  lead  his  daughters  from 
village  to  village,  to  gain  his  bread  by  their  life  of 
infamy;  or  a  brother  convey  his  sisters  about  the 
country,  to  gain  for  himself  and  them  a  liveli- 
hood by  their  shameless  life:  yet  such  things  are 
done  here. 

Our  hearers  seemed  interested  in  what  we  had  to 
say.  When* I  made  an  allusion  to  the  awful  state 
of  morals  in  the  country,  an  effort  Avas  made  to  con- 
ceal the  real  facts  in  the  case.  Natives  often  seem 
ashamed,  before  Europeans,  of  the  fearful  depravity 
of  their  country,  and  hence  hide,  as  much  as  they 
can,  the  darkest  side  of  things.  I  assured  the  villa- 
gers that  I  now  know  fully  the  terrible  depravity 
between  which  and  us  they  think  to  keep  a  screen 
drawn.  I  urged  their  need  of  an  all-powerful  Savior, 
such  as  was  presented  to  them  in  Christ.  Some  one 
objected  that  many  had  become  Christians,  and  are 
now  the  worst  of  men,  mentioning  by  name  a  native 
Christian  whose  life  had  been  reprehensible.  It  is  a 
sad  fact  that  some  native  Christians  are  utterly  un- 
worthy of  the  name  they  bear.  Hindus  and  Mussul- 
mans understand  that  we  preach  salvation  from  sin 
by  Christ;  hence,  they  often,  with  Satanic  satisfac- 
tion, retort  the  case  of  bad  native  converts.  No 
less  distressing  to  us,  and  damaging  to  the  work  of 
God,  is  the  case  of  some  vile  Europeans,  sometimes 
referred  to  by  objectors. 

In  the  evening,  crossed  the  wheat-fields,  with 
Alexander,  to  a  village  called  Myree.      Midway,  we 


1/4  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

passed  two  men,  digging  a  well  from  which  to  water 
the  needy  fields.  A  little,  withered  old  fellow  sat 
above,  on  the  edge  of  the  well,  to  receive  the  bas- 
kets of  earth  handed  up  by  the  other,  as  he  sunk 
the  well.  The  little  fellow  smiled,  as  I  asked  him  if 
he  was  not  afraid  the  wolves  would  run  away  with 
him.  Wolves  commit  bold  depredations  in  this  re- 
gion. Recently,  a  woman  came  to  us,  complaining 
that  a  wolf  had  met  her,  and  seized  away  a  goat 
which  she  was  leading  by  a  rope.  Children  are 
often  carried  off  from  the  village,  in  the  night. 
Alexander  tells  me  that  at  night,  here,  he  ties  one 
of  their  children  to  his  waist,  and  his  wife  does  the 
same  with  the  others,  and  thus  they  sleep.  Chil- 
dren are  often  torn  from  the  arms  of  their  sleeping 
parents  by  these  desperate  animals.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem  for  wolves,  they  prow^l  singly  or  in  pairs. 

We  had  a  quiet  and  very  attentive  hearing,  at 
the  village,  in  a  threshing-floor.  The  villagers  said 
that  often  the  Brahmins  come  and  threaten  them 
with  all  sorts  of  supernatural  calamities,  if  they  do 
not  make  them  valuable  presents.  The  supersti- 
tious villagers  generally  submit  to  these  extortions. 
A  more  corrupt,  avaricious  priesthood  the  world 
never  saw. 

November  i6. — Was  off,  early  in  the  morning, 
with  Alexander,  to  Bilhut,  distant  three  miles.  A 
brisk  walk  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  we  mounted 
our  horses,  which  had  been  led  behind  us,  and, 
pushing  on,  soon  reached  the  village.  A  govern- 
ment school  is  kept  up  here,  and  I  examined  the 
boys    in    reading    and    geography.      Some    of   them 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  1 75 

have  got  on  very  well.  I  then  told  them  that  there 
is  something  better  than  mere  secular  information, 
and  tried  to  impress  them  with  the  importance  of 
goodness  and  purity  of  heart  as  a  fitness  for  heaven. 
The  pupils  listened  with  attention.  By  this  time,  a 
crowd  of  villagers  had  collected,  to  whom  we  pre- 
sented the  claims  of  the  Gospel.  The  usual  list  of 
objections  to  becoming  Christians  were  urged  by  our 
hearers,  among  which  that  of  eating  food  proscribed 
by  caste  was  prominent.  All  objections  were  an- 
swered to  their  apparent  satisfaction. 

We  mounted  our  horses,  and  started  in  a  rapid 
ride  toward  camp.  Passing  through  some  low  trees, 
I  swayed  to  one  side,  to  escape  a  branch,  when  snap 
went  a  treacherous  old  stirrup-strap,  and,  in  an  in- 
stant, I  was  dashed  to  the  ground,  having  swung 
round  under  the  horse's  neck,  lighting  on  my  back. 
The  horse,  in  headlong  speed,  leaped  over  me.  I 
was  up  in  a  moment,  without  any  hurt  save  a  slight 
abrasion  of  my  fingers  by  the  sudden  snatching  of 
the  reins  through  them.  Adjusting  the  stirrup,  we 
rode  on  to  a  village  called  Khairabad,  and  pulled  up, 
for  a  talk,  in  a  threshing-floor.  It  was  an  unpleasant 
talk.  In  trying  to  "reason  of  sin,"  a  Brahmin  put 
in  the  apology  that  this  is  the  Kalyitg,  or  age  of 
sin;  and,  sin  being  the  order  of  the  day,  it  would 
be  useless  or  unreasonable  to  attempt  shunning  it. 
The  Hindus,  like  most  ancient  nations,  divide  their 
history  into  four  ages,  descending  from  a  golden  age 
of  perfect  purity  to  the  present'  leaden  age  of  uni- 
versal sin.  A  traditional  gleam  of  Edenic  purity 
and  the  Fall  seems  to  run  through  the  history  of  the 


176  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

race  in  every  land.  I  objected  to  the  Kalyiig-dL-poX- 
ogy  for  sin,  urging  that  we  are  all  still  responsible 
for  our  conduct,  and  presented  Christ  as  a  Savior 
from  sin.  At  this  point,  a  Mussulman,  who  was 
present,  put  in,  that,  if  Christ  is  a  Savior  from  sin, 
he  has  not  accomplished  his  mission  with  the  En- 
glish. He  then  related  the  bad  conduct  of  some 
unworthy  characters  he  had  known  of,  with  the  tri- 
umphant satisfaction  of  a  fiend.  It  is,  unfortunately, 
too  true  that  the  conduct  of  many  English  soldiers 
in  this  country  is  debauched  in  the  extreme;  ^nd 
sometimes  men  in  position  seem,  as  some  one  said, 
to  have  *'left  Christianity  beyond  the  straits,"  and 
here  vie  with  the  heathen  in  forgetting  God  and  mo- 
rality. Such  things  are  a  great  trial  to  missionaries, 
as  the  natives  often  urge  them  in  evidence  of  the 
inefficiency  of  Christianity  to  effect  what  it  proposes 
and  we  claim  for  it — salvation  from  sin.  The  natives, 
however,  are  learning,  slowly  though  it  be,  to  distin- 
guish between  nominal  and  real  Christians.  The  vil- 
lagers in  this  place  heard  badly,  and  we  rode  away 
in  discouragement.  One  thing  they  will  not  forget, 
perhaps — that  every  white  man  is  not  claimed  as  a 
Christian. 

During  the  day,  Narain  Sing  came  to  camp.  He 
has  relatives  in  this  village,  whom  he  has  not  seen 
since  his  baptism.  He  takes  this  opportunity  of 
paying  them  a  visit,  and  telling  them  of  his  conver- 
sion to  ''this  new  way."  They  have  received  him 
very  kindly. 

In  the  evening,  we  crossed  the  little  creek  that 
winds  by  our  camp,   to  HusanjDore,   this  being  fair- 


TO  ''CAMP-MEETING. 


177 


day.  The  din  and  dust  that  rise  from  the  place 
where  these  village  fairs  are  held,  led  us  to  our  con- 
gregation. A  little  knoll,  near  by,  formed  a  good 
speaking-stand,  on  which  we  opened  our  message  for 
the  motley,  noisy  throng.  A  temple  of  Mahadeo 
(the  destroyer),  third  in  the  Hindu  trinity,-  stood 
hard  by,  with  its  octagonal,  spire-like  structure  cov- 
ered with  fantastic  figures  of  monkeys,  lions,  ele- 
phants, and  peacocks,  some  in  statue,  others  in 
bass  -  relief,  and  all  in  an  attitude  of  defending  the 
temple.  Soon  a  semicircle  of  crowded,  upturned 
faces  were  before  us.  An  impatient,  bustling  little 
Brahmin,  with  his  forehead  bedaubed  with  caste- 
marks,  squeezed  his  way  through  the  crowd,  up  to 
the  front,  and  squared  himself  for  a  theological  fight. 
Brahmins  of  all  classes  are  most  intolerant  of  mis- 
sionaries. Generally  extremely  bigoted,  often  grossly 
ignorant  even  of  their  own  religion, '  they  fear  and 
hate  Christianity  as  threatening  their  gain,  and  the 
sacred  position  they  hold  among  Hindus.  "You 
have  come,"  said  the  Brahmin,  with  rapid  utterance 
and  an  agitated  air,  "to  pollute  and  destroy  this 
people.  If  any  man  leaves  his  own  religion,  he  will 
go  to  hell,  as  he  deserves."  This  last  sentence, 
uttered  Avith  bitter  emphasis,  was  meant  for  the 
ears  of  the  new  convert,  Narain  Sing.  He  compre- 
hended the  thrust,  and,  facing  the  dogmatic  little 
Hindu  priest,  remarked  that  Christianity  brings  pu- 
rity from  sin,  and  leads  to  heaven;  but  the  Brahmin 
rattled  and  clattered  at  such  a  rate  that  we  joined  in 
a  hearty  laugh  at  him,  which  increased  his  rage 
to  such  an  extent  that  he  jerked   himself  from  our 


1/8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

detested  presence,  and  was  lost  in  the  crowd.  Such 
skirmishes  are  of  almost  daily  occurrence.  Gener- 
ally, the  natives  have  learned  that  they  can  not  stand 
before  the  patient,  searching,  unanswerable  logic  of 
the  truth  we  preach;  hence,  pressing  to  the  front, 
they  often  simply  deliver  a  sharp,  spiteful  fire,  not 
unmingled  with  vile  abuse  perhaps,  and  retreat  be- 
fore a  fair  reply  can  be  made.  They  shun  the  reply ; 
but  the  crowd  gets  it,  nevertheless.  Thus  thousands 
of  angry  or  more  sober  objections  are  finding  a  re- 
peated reply,  and  the  mass  of  the  people  are  learn- 
ing the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ.  We  talked,  by  turn, 
until  darkness  was  coming  on,  and  the  crowd  had 
grown  thin,  as  the  villagers  left  the  fair. 

Returning  to  camp,  after  a  moment's  rest,  we 
repaired  to  the  village  chaupal  for  a  night-meeting 
with  the  villagers.  Narain  Sing  was  stopping  here, 
with  his  relatives,  Avho  seem  to  entertain  him  kindly. 
Seats  were  placed  for  us  on  a  high  platform  of  earth, 
where  a  fire  was  kindled  beneath  a  neem-tree.  A 
group  of  natives  crowded,  in  a  compact  circle,  rownd 
the  fire,  while  the  circle  was  now  and  then  enlarged 
by  a  new-comer,  pressing  into  the  curved,  compact 
rank.  The  fickle  fire  flamed  up  anon,  as  a  handful 
of  dry  leaves  or  brambles  was  thrown  on  it,  causing 
a  weird  mingling  of  light  and  shadow  to  flit  among 
the  pinnate  neem-tree  leaves  overhead.  We  had  a 
very  satisfactory  talk,  all  listening  with  the  greatest 
attention. 

Leaving  Narain  Sing  with  them,  I  retired  to  my 
tent  for  the  night.  After  half  an  hour,  as  I  sat 
reading  a  little  before  going  to  bed,   to  my  surprise 


TO  «' CAMP-MEETING."  179 

in  came  Narain  Sing,  late  as  it  was.  He  began  to 
talk  of  the  fearful  depravity  of  the  people,  apparently 
having  a  desire  to  awaken  my  deepest  concern  for 
them.  Such  an  awful  picture  of  human  depravity  I 
had  never  before  seen  portrayed.  His  eyes  filled 
with  tears  which  trickled  down  his  cheeks  as  he  went 
on  with  the  description,  which  he  finished  by  saying, 
"And  such  was  I." 

The  falsehood  and  deception  of  the  natives  seem 
boundless.  Theft  is  a  very  common  practice,  the 
head  men  and  well  to  do  of  the  village  often  being 
in  league  with  the  professional  thieves,  robbers,  and 
burglars,  sharing  in  their  spoils,  and  screening  them 
from  justice.  Even  the  native  police  and  constables, 
paid  by  the  Government  to  aid  in  the  suppression 
of  crime,  become  partners  in  that  crime.  Native 
rulers  and  officers  of  justice  almost  invariably 
take  bribes,  to  the  perversion  of  justice  and  the 
injury  of  the  poor  and  innocent.  Licentiousness  is 
quite  universal.  To  instance  one  form,  adultery  is  a 
very  common  sin.  In  Narain  Sing's  own  language, 
"The  more  wealthy  class  of  villagers  will  forget  and 
forsake  their  food,  sooner  than  abandon  their  daily 
thoughts  and  schemes  of  polluting  somebody's 
home."  Murder  is  a  common  crime.  Pride,  anger, 
avarice,  jealousy,  hatred,  etc.,  fill  up  the  awful 
picture,  whose  fearful  shades  and  delineations  grow 
darker  arid  more  distinct  to  me  every  year.  One 
can  comprehend  here,  as  never  before,  the  necessity 
and  righteousness  of  that  Divine  wrath  that  swept 
away  the  apostate  antediluvian  world,  and  of  the 
fire  from  heaven  that  left  the  "cities  of  the  plain" 


l8o  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

a  smoking  heap,  and  of  the  Divine  command  that 
consigned  the  Canaanitish  tribes,  whose  cup  of  in- 
iquity was  full,  to  indiscriminate  extermination. 
How  sad,  how  absolutely  awful,  the  state  of  society, 
when  the  conscience  of  a  people  seems  seared, 
blasted,  by  iniquity,  and  incapable  of  producing 
shame  for  vice,  or  regret  for  wrong;  when  the  throat 
becomes  **an  open  sepulcher, "  dark  and  dismal  with 
"deceit,"  deadly  with  the  ''poison  of  asps,"  "full 
of  cursing  and  bitterness;"  when  the  feet  become 
"swift  to  shed  blood;"  when  "iniquity  is  swallowed 
down  like  water,"  enjoyed  and  relished  as  that  re- 
freshing element  by  the  thirsty;  when  the  forsaken 
"way  of  peace  is  not  known,"  and  "there  is  no  fear 
of  God  before  their  eyes!"  In  such  a  state  of  soci- 
iety,  there  is  no  security  for  property,  no  safety  for 
life,  no  refuge  or  protection  for  innocence  or  virtue. 
British  law  in  India,  in  some  degree,  stays  the  seeth- 
ing billows  of  this  tide  of  depravity.  Christianity 
alone  can  heal  its  polluted  depths. 

When  Narain  Sing  closed  his  description,  he  pro- 
posed prayer,  and,  kneeling  down,  prayed  most 
imploringly  for  Divine  aid  in  the  speedy  spread  of 
Christianity  among  his  countrymen. 

November  ij. — Early  in  the  morning,  in  company 
with  Narain  Sing,  crossed  over  the  creek  that  flows 
near  our  camp,  and  visited  the  village  of  Mujaree, 
where  we  preached  yesterday,  in  the  fair.  We  went 
to  the  chief  chaupal,  where  a  few  boys  were  reading, 
under  the-  zemindar's  private  teacher.  The  zemindar 
was  lamenting  the  loss  of  two  thousand  rupees 
(;^i,ooo),  through  the  roguery  of  a  relative,  who  had 


TO   "CAMP-MEETING."  l8l 

borrowed  it  from  him,  and,  watching  his  opportunity, 
had  stolen  the  receipt  that  he  had  given  him  on  re- 
ceiving the  money,  and  then  denied  having  received 
it  at  all  The  heartless  rascality  of  the  natives 
knows  no  bounds. 

A  number  of  villagers  assembled,  but  heard  our 
message  with  a  very  ill  grace.  At  first,  some  one 
urged  that  Christianity  does  not  save  from  sin;  and, 
in  confirmation  of  this  statement,  referred  to  the  case 
of  some  Europeans  who  had  been  guilty  of  taking 
bribes,  and  of  their  great  licentiousness.  This  point 
explained  and  settled,  some  one,  in  an  impudent 
way,  proposed  that  we  try  the  effect,  in  spreading 
Christianity,  of  giving  villages  to  converts.  Others, 
with  sincerity  enough,  naively  averred  that  the  plan 
was  a  good  one,  as  the  Mohammedans  had  tried  it 
with  great  success  in  the  propagation  of  their  faith. 
Some  one  also,  in  a  sarcastic  way,  commiserated 
Narain  Sing  for  not  having  got  any  thing  in  becom- 
ing a  Christian.  To  this  he  made  a  very  befitting 
reply — reproving  their  avaricious  temper,  ever  savor- 
ing only  of  the  things  of  men. 

As  we  rode  home,  Narain  Sing  confirmed  the 
notorious  rascality  of  the  natives,  by  relating  another 
instance  that  had  occurred  in  this  same  village.  A 
certain  zemindar  had  two  wives,  one  of  whom  was 
the  mother  of  four  sons,  the  other  of  one.  A  com- 
mon illustration  of  the  evils  of  polygamy  in  this  and 
every  country:  the  four  brothers  by  one  mother  dis- 
liked the  son  of  the  other  wife,  and  conspired  to 
disinherit  him  by  a  most  daring  bit  of  fraud.  A 
man  was  bribed  to  present  himself,  in  company  with 


1 82  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

them,  before  the  EngHsh  magistrate,  and,  personating 
the  single  son,  pretend  to  sell  and  sign  away  his 
right  to  his  portion  of  the  paternal  estate.  The 
magistrate  did  not  suspect  the  bold  fraud,  and  the 
transaction  was  legally  effected  and  sanctioned.  All 
was  staked  on  the  daring  hope  that  the  brother 
would  not  hear  of  the  matter  for  some  time,  when 
the  magistrate's  recollection  would  not  enable  him  to 
identify  the  man  who  had  pretended  to  sell  his  por- 
tion of  the  estate.  Then,  when  the  true  party  would 
come  forward,  they  would  bribe  witnesses  to  swear 
that  he  had  sold  his  title  to  the  estate,  but  was  now 
attempting  fraud  to  get  it  back.  Fortunately,  the 
brother  heard  of  the  infamous  plot  in  a  day  or  two, 
and,  hastening  off  to  the  magistrate,  exposed  it  all. 
The  magistrate  saw  that  he  was  not  the  man  who 
had  appeared  before  him.  The  affair  was  investi- 
gated, and  the  other  parties  suffered  imprisonment 
for  their  pains. 

All  kinds  of  fraud  and  rascality,  sustained  by 
perjured  false  witness,  is  of  constant  occurrence  here, 
and  excites  no  kind  of  surprise.  The  difference  be- 
tween a  country  like  this,  and  countries  where  Chris- 
tianity has  become  a  power,  is,  that  here  iniquity  is 
dominant,  triumphant,  and  rectitude  trodden  down; 
there  rectitude  reigns,  while  crime  is  in  subjection 
and  control.  Without  the  religion  of  the  Bible, 
selfishness  and  wickedness  have  always  ruled,  and 
ever  will  rule,  the  race.  Where  the  spirit  of  the 
Bible  prevails,  justice  and  righteousness  triumph. 

In  the  evening,  I  went  with  Alexander  to  Kuar, 
where  a  fair  was  held.      Generally,  our  hearers  were 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  1 83 

attentive.  Two  men  tried  to  interrupt  our  message. 
One  of  these  was  put  to  shame  without  much  effort; 
but  the  other  kept  up  an  interruption  of  silly  ques- 
tions and  objections,  nearly  to  the  last.  He  w^as  a 
very  tall  man,  of  immense  frame,  whom  I  recog- 
nized, by  his  physique  and  objections,  as  a  man, 
who,  three  years  ago,  in  a  village  several  miles  from 
this  place,  set  himself  to  oppose  the  Word,  when  I 
was  preaching  in  a  fair.  He  finally  walked  away, 
manifestly  not  satisfied  with  his  success. 

As  we  passed  through  the  village,  returning  to 
camp,  a  group  of  children,  upon  whom  we  came 
in  turning  a  corner,  scampered  away,  exclaiming, 
''Bhago!  bhagol  yih  ate  jo  ha  swiatitf  (''Run! 
here  they  come  who  tell  about  Jesus!")  Village 
mothers  often  teach  their  children  to  avoid  us,  as 
we  may  carry  them  off  to  a  foreign  country.  Villa- 
gers sometimes  have  a  superstitious  fear  of  coming 
in  contact  with  us,  as  if,  by  charms  a'nd  spells,  we 
could  metamorphose  them  into  Christians  against 
their  w^ill.  I  have  seen  natives,  who  had  gladly  re- 
ceived a  tract,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  nervously 
thrust  it  back  again,  as  if  some  dangerous  magic 
had  been  avoided.  Most  probably  the  spark  that 
exploded  the  terrible  mutiny  of  '57  was  an  impres- 
sion that  the  oiled  cartridge  was  a  plot  to  break  the 
native's  caste,  and  entrap  him  in  Christianity.  After 
the  outbreak,  political  aspirants,  who  guided  and 
molded  it  into  an  attempt  at  governmental  revolu- 
tion, fanned  the  raging  flames  into  greater  fury 
by  reporting  that  the  English  had  mingled  ground 
human   bones   in   flour   that    had    been    sold   to   the 


1 84  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

natives,  for  the  same  purpose  of  making  them  Chris- 
tians; but  a  more  intelHgent  conception  of  what 
Christianity  is,  and  of  the  mode  of  its  propagation, 
is  spreading  in  the  country,  and  the  possibihty  of  a 
mutiny  through  such  superstitions  will  be  precluded. 
November  i8. — In  the  morning,  with  Alexander, 
visited  a  village  about  a  mile  from  camp.  .  The  villa- 
gers were  so  scattered,  and  occupied  with  their  morn- 
ing's work,  that,  for  a  time,  it  seemed  we  were  to 
have  no  hearers.  As  we  started  to  leave  the  place, 
I  stopped  to  address  a  few  words  to  some  boys,  who 
were  warming  themselves  by  sitting  in  the  sunshine, 
close  to  an  old  mud  wall,  enjoying  the  direct  and 
reflected  rays  of  the  sun.  As  I  talked  away,  asking 
them  questions,  and  trying  to  say  pleasant  things  for 
them,  one  and  another  and  another  villager  came 
up,  until  a  good  crowd  Avas  attentively  listening  to 
a  discourse  on  sin  and  redemption.  An  old  man 
opposed  the  doctrine  of  fate  to  any  use  on  their 
part  of  trying  to  think  or  act  for  the  improvement 
of  their  moral  condition.  The  stern  mold  of  fate 
had  stamped  an  inflexible  destiny  on  all  human 
events,  and  all  human  effort  to  recast  the  smallest 
thought  or  action  was  perfectly  vain.  The  great 
religions  of  the  East — Mohammedanism,  Hinduism, 
and  Buddhism — all  prostrate  their  votaries  before  a 
cheerless,  stern,  inflexible  fatalism ;  and  how  stern 
and  cheerless  it  seemed,  as  that  old  man,  with  a 
resignation  sad  and  gloomy,  observed  that  he  could 
not  tell  where  he  would  go  after  death!  It  was  an 
existence  full  of  dark  and  awful  uncertainty  upon 
which  he  must  enter.      How  emphatically  "life  and 


TO  *' CAMP-MEETING."  1 85 

immortality  are  brought  to  light  in  the  Gospel!" 
Christianity,  as  it  advances  over  these  vast  Asiatic 
countries,  will  literally  pour  floods  of  luminous  life 
and  immortality  over  these  crowded  millions. 

In  the  night,  one  tent  had  been  sent  forward  to 
Saadatgunge,  a  large  village  eight  miles  distant  from 
Hatnipore.  After  breakfast,  cCt  9  o'clock,  the  re- 
maining tents  were  struck  and  sent  on,  while  I 
stopped  for  a  few  hours  in  the  village  chaupal. 
A  number  of  natives  called  to  see  me,  and  seemed 
pleased  that  I  had  determined  to  build  a  helper's 
house  at  this  village.  A  site  had  been  selected  for 
this  purpose.  I  found  but  little  time  to  read  a  book 
and  newspaper,  with  which  I  had  thought  to  enter- 
tain myself  while  waiting  for  camp  to  get  forward 
and  be  ready.  If  a  European  stops  in  a  village, 
and  shows  himself  friendly  and  communicative,  the 
natives  will  ply  him  with  many  a  question,  curious 
to  find  out  the  history  and  habits  of  his  people. 
My  visitors  did  full  justice  to  their  instincts  on  this 
occasion.  They  wanted  to  know  what  kind  of  caste 
there  is  among  English  people,  and  who  the  white 
soldiers  are,  and  why  they  are  so  bad,  and  how  we 
make  our  marriages  and  cultivate  our  fields.  I  an- 
swered these  and  similar  questions  in  a  familiar  way, 
always  trying  to  give  the  conversation  some  turn 
that  would  honor  Christ  and  his  religion.  A  great, 
burly  zemindar  brought  out  a  new  gun  that  some 
officer  had  given  him  as  a  present,  and  wished  me 
to  initiate  him  in  loading  and  firing,  as  it  differed 
from   the    rude    matchlocks   commonly  used   by  the 

natives.     I  measured  him  a  charge  of  powder,  loaded 

16 


1 86  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  fired  the  piece.  He  then  wished  me  to  arrange 
for  a  hunt  with  him,  by  way  of  giving  a  more  ex- 
tended lesson;  but  I  dedined,  saying  that  his  Brah- 
min friends  formerly  chided  me  for  killing  game,  and 
told  him  that  I  had  ceased  to  carry  a  gun.  **To  be 
sure,"  said  some  one  ia  the  crowd,  "the  sahib  is  a 
great  sanyasV  (a  kind  of  sacred  devotee).  The  man 
put  up  his  gun,  and,  by  and  by,  I  was  alone. 

As  I  sat  there  and.  read,  I  could  but  mark,  with 
fresh  disgust,  what  I  had  often  marked  before,  the 
extreme  laziness  of  natives  who  can  afford  to  live 
without  labor.  The  zemindar's  son,  a  young  man 
who  is  also  the  father  of  a  family,  came  into  the 
chaupal,  and  soon  wrapped  his  shawl  about  him  and 
composed  himself  to  sleep.  To  labor  when  you  can 
help  it;  to  walk  when  you  can  ride;  to  do  Avith  your 
own  hands  what  other  hands  can  be  made  do  for 
3^ou,  is  degrading.  Inactivity,  freedom  from  care, 
rest,  is  the  highest  bliss.  Wealth  is  desired  and  val- 
ued, because  it  enables  its  possessor  to  eat  plenti- 
fully, smoke  incessantly,  lounge  constantly,  and  sleep 
to  his  complete  satisfaction.  The  highest  bliss  of 
the  highest  divinity  is  profound  rest  and  slumber, 
and  it  would  seem  that  this  conception  has  molded 
the  instincts  and  aspirations  of  the  Hindus;  yet  they 
have  fine  mental  capabilities,  and  a  country  of  mag- 
nificent resources,  and  are  destined  one  day  to 
present  to  the  world  a  grand  theater  of  sanctified 
activities. 

I  left  the  chaupal,  and  the  young  man  to  his 
slumber,  and  rode  away  toward  camp,  passing  fields 
that  were  ruined  by  the  drought.     They  lay  in  local- 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  iS/ 

ities  where  the  periodic  rains  alone  are  depended  on, 
and  no  means  of  irrigation  is  provided.  Whole  fields 
were  dry  and  bare,  just  as  when  they  had  been  sown, 
the  grain  having  not  even  germinated.  In  some 
places,  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  sink  wells, 
without  success;  in  others,  a  little  water  had  been 
found,  as  was  attested  by  a  small  surrounding  patch 
of  green. 

The  rainy  season  lasts  about  four  months,  includ- 
ing June  and  September.  The  crop  that  is  sown  in 
this  season,  and  ripens  soon  after  it,  requires  no  irri- 
gation. But  the  cold-weather  crop,  which  includes 
the  staples,  wheat  and  barley,  requires  watering,  as, 
generally,  no  rain  falls  from  September  to  June 
again,  except  some  showers  about  the  end  of  the  old 
or  beginning  of  the  new  year,  being  the  "latter 
rains."  Several  modes  of  irrigation  are  resorted  to. 
Most  commonly,  wells  are  sunk  among  the  fields, 
when  water  is  found.  A  pulley  is  fixed  above  the 
well,  over  which  a  rope  is  drawn  by  a  yoke  of  bul- 
locks. A  large  leather  sack,  made  from  the  entire 
skin  of  an  ox  or  buffalo,  is  attached  to  the  rope,  so 
that  more  than  a  half-barrel  of  water  is  drawn  up  at 
each  lift,  as  the  bullocks  are  repeatedly  brought  to 
the  well  and  driven  out  the  length  of  the  rope. 
Sometimes  two  large  earthen  pots,  or  buckets,  are  at- 
tached to  each  end  of  a  rope,  which  passes  over  the 
pulley,  and  the  whole  is  worked  by  a  man  who  fills 
and  draws  up  the  buckets  alternately.  A  pole, 
working  over  a  post  as  a  pivot,  is  often  made  to  ele- 
vate the  bucket  from  the  well,  just  as  it  is  sometimes 
seen  in  the  United  States.      This  is  well  irrigation. 


1 88  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

All  over  the  country,  there  are  large  tanks  and 
little  wet-weather  lakes,  which  are  filled  during  the 
rainy  season.  This  water  is  exhausted  in  irrigating 
the  cold-weather  crop,  in  a  peculiar  manner.  At 
each  end  of  an  elongated,  trough-like,  close-made 
basket,  holding  six  or  eight  gallons,  two  ropes  are 
affixed.  Two  men,  a  rope  in  each  hand,  swing  the 
basket  in  such  a  way  as  to  fill  it  at  each  sweep,  and 
deliver  the  water  high  upon  the  bank,  where  it  can 
run  off  on  the  fields.  If  the  elevation  is  great,  two 
or  more  sets  of  men  take  the  water  at  successive 
steps,  until  it  reaches  a  height  sufficient  to  deliver  it 
to  the  entire  field.  Water  is  drawn  from  rivers  and 
creeks  in  the  same  way.  It  is  let  on  to  the  fields 
by  a  ramification  of  little  canals,  which  finally  leave 
the  water  in  small  beds  of  a  few  yards  square, 
marked  off  by  a  slight  ridge  of  earth.  When  the 
"early  and  latter  rains"  come  in  their  season, 
abundant  crops  are  produced,  in  a  sandy  soil,  by 
this  supplemental  irrigation.  But  if  the  rains  should 
fail,  the  smaller  streams  and  tanks  also  fail,  and  the 
Avells  do  not  suffice  to  make  a  crop.  Famine  and 
distress,  and  often  starvation,  is  the  result. 

The  present  year,  there  has  been  a  failure  in  the 
midsummer  rains,  and  consequent  scarcity  is  pro- 
ducing distress.  Should  the  rains  fail  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  it  is  difficult  to  foretell  what  suffering 
may  be  experienced  in  the  famine  that  must  follow. 
India,  with  its  wonderful  productiveness  of  soil  gen- 
erally, is  subject  to  seasons  of  scarcity  and  famine, 
from  occasional  failures  in  the  periodic  rains.  The 
English  Government  has  projected  artificial  irrigation 


TO   «' GAMP-MEETING."  '189 

on  a  grand  scale,  to  preclude  the  recurrence  of  fam- 
ine. These  canals,  in  their  ramifications,  measure 
thousands  of  miles  in  length,  and  water  thousands 
of  square  miles  of  cultivated  fields.  The  water  is 
admitted  to  the  fields,  at  fixed  rates  for  the  bigha 
(about  half  an  acre),  the  rates  depending  on  the  kind 
of  crop  irrigated.  This  irrigation  system  is  being 
extended  every  year,  and  is  an  inestimable  blessing 
to  large  tracts  of  country,  while  yielding  the  govern- 
ment about  five  per  cent  on  the  capital  invested  in 
the  canals. 

I  reached  camp  as  the  sun  was  sinking  below  the 
distant,  hazy  plain.  Found  my  tent  up,  but  no 
dinner  ready.  The  cart  that  contained  food  and 
dishes  had  broken  down,  a  few  miles  back.  But  the 
native  helper's  wife,  thoughtful  soul,  had  some  fish 
and  chapatees  ready,  which,  save  being  a  little  too 
hot  with  pepper  and  other  spices,  made  an  excellent 
repast.  Several  villagers  came  up  to  give  their 
salam  (peace),  and  presented  me  with  a  fine,  large 
fish,  just  caught.  They  call  it  '*rohu,"  and  it  is 
almost  as  well  flavored  as  the  salmon. 

November  19. — In  the  morning,  made  the  usual 
round  of  preaching,  with  Abraham.  Our  camp  is  in 
a  magnificent  grove  of  mangoes  and  \h.^  ficiis  indicus, 
or  Indian  fig-tree.  The  ground  is  bare  of  grass,  but 
hard  and  smooth,  almost,  as  a  marble  pavement. 
Near  by  among  the  great,  wide-spreading  trees,  is  a 
threshing-floor,  where  lazy  bullocks  turn  their  slug- 
gish rounds,  treading  out  the  grain.  Several  naked, 
dusky  children  play  almost  the  live-long  day  among 
the    piles    of  grain   and   chaff  and   straw.      As  their 


190  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

merry  voices  ring  through  the  grove,  they  send  me 
away  to  my  distant  home,  and  back,  through  inter- 
vening years,  to  the  dreamy  days  of  childhood,  when 
I  too  romped  and  tumbled  among  piles  of  straw, 
thoughtless  and  happy  as  they.  At  times,  some- 
thing in  the  passing  mental  mood  wonderfully  elon- 
gates the  vista  of  years  adown  which  I  look.  The 
scene  of  those  childhood  gambols  seems  so  far  away 
that  the  gleesome  voices  of  the  rompers  and  tum- 
blers sound  faint  and  vanishing.  Again,  all  seems 
inverted;  the  scene  comes  near;  I  am  a  boy  again, 
sporting  with  the  companions  of  years  long  gone  by. 
The  mellow,  hazy  afternoon,  so  like  the  Indian  Sum- 
mer days  in  America,  was  favorable  to  dreamy  recol- 
lections and  musings.  A  measure  of  loneliness  came 
over  me,  and  my  thoughts  turned  wistfully  to  wife 
and  the  little  pets  of  girls,  absent  now  for  days. 

November  20. — In  the  morning,  rode  to  a  village 
called  Subalpoor,  with  a  zemindar  who  has  a  horse 
to  sell.  He  accompanied  us  to  exhibit  the  qualities 
of  his  steed,  which  he  did  with  the  complete  airs  of 
a  regular  jockey — the  first  native,  in  India,  who  has 
reminded  me  of  that  character,  as  found  in  America. 
The  English  government  is  making  an  effort  to  im- 
prove the  horses  of  the  country.  Good  stallions  are 
kept  at  different  points  over  the  country,  and  a  bet- 
ter stock  of  horses  is  growing  up.  The  government 
reserves  the  right  of  purchasing  these  improved 
horses  for  its  cavalry  and  artillery.  They  are  all 
branded  when  of  the  right  size,  and  can  be  sold  to 
others  than  government  purchasers  only  by  permis- 
sion.    Formerly,  all  the  horses  required  for  the  army 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  I9I 

came,  at  great  expense,  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  Australia.  The  present  arrangement  is 
Hkely  to  prove  a  great  advantage  to  the  govern- 
ment, as  well  as  in  furnishing  the  country  generally 
with  a  better  stock  of  horses.  The  native  horses, 
as  found  in  the  plains,  are  chiefly  a  breed  of  little, 
ill-shapen,  spiritless  brutes,  hardly  worthy  the  name 
of  horses.  The  zemindar's  animal  was  a  pretty 
three-year-old  Arab  colt,  which  fell  under  the  gov- 
ernment size.  He  was  anxious  to  sell  it  to  me,  as 
one  good  avenue  of  sale  was  thus  closed.  He  kept 
drawing  disparaging  comparisons  between  his  own 
and  the  thin  little  pony  that  the  native  helper, 
Alexander,  was  then  riding,  but  became  measura- 
bly crestfallen  and  silent  when  the  helper  dashed  off 
and  outran  him  in  a  sharp  little  race. 

As  we  neared  the  village,  a  glaring  white  Hindu 
temple,  with  its  fantastic  adornment  of  rudely  made 
monkeys,  lions,  and  peacocks,  gleamed  through  the 
trees  of  a  sacred  grove.  The  zemindar  here  is  a 
wealthy  native,  and  he  has  thus  consecrated  some 
of  his  property  to  the  gods.  Near  the  temple,  he 
has  erected  neatly  built  quarters  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  some  stupid,  lazy  fakeers.  When  we  came 
up,  they  were  sitting  by  a  feeble  fire,  inhaling  the 
vile  fumes  of  charas,  a  very  injurious,  intoxicating 
drug,  made  from  the  flowers  of  wild  hemp.  One  is 
often  astounded  at  the  strange  delusion  of  the  Hin- 
dus in  fancying  these  lazy,  filthy,  driveling,  and 
often  exceedingly  licentious  fakeers  to  be  saints; 
and  yet,  as  such,  they  are  entertained  and  sup- 
ported,  as  a  very  meritorious  act. 


192  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

We  took  a  turn  in  a  garden  laid  out  round  the 
temple.  The  walks  were  rather  tastefully  arranged; 
but  the  selection  of  flowers  showed  the  taste  of  a 
savage,  rather  than  of  one  accustomed  to  floral  cul- 
tivation. Prominent  among  the  plants  was  what  the 
natives  call  dhatinn,  the  seeds  of  which  have  a  won- 
derfully intoxicating  effect,  and  are  often  smoked 
with  tobacco.  This  plant,  they  say,  is  the  food  of 
Mahadeo,  the  god  of  destruction,  the  third  in  the 
Hindu  triad. 

Leaving  the  garden  and  temple,  with  its  hideous, 
grinning  idols,  we  repaired  to  the  village  chaupal,  in 
going  to  which  some  one,  with  an  air  of  pride,  led 
us  into  the  zemindar's  private  sitting-place,  that  we 
might  see  where  he  ** keeps  honor,"  as  the  native 
idiom  has  it.  Two  wide,  rude  divans  were  covered 
with  carpet,  upon  which  pillows,  large  and  small, 
were  placed,  for  propping  the  body  in  all  attitudes 
and  elevations.  An  indolent,  languid,  reclining  posi- 
tion, the  native  helper  tells  me,  is  deemed  here  an 
indication  of  wealth,  luxury,  and  rank.  Bottles  of 
perfume  and  rose-water  were  arranged  on  shelves. 

Passing  on  to  the  chaupal,  we  found  a  few  lads 
reading,  under  a  Mohammedan  teacher,  although  all 
Hindus.  While  I  examined  them  briefly  in  reading 
and  geography,  a  crowd  assembled,  to  which  we 
turned  as  our  morning  congregation.  A  man  at- 
tempted to  apologize  for  the  conduct  of  those  who 
travel  on  in  the  way  to  hell,  by  intimating  that  God 
had  made  the  place,  and  men  are  under  obligation 
to  fill  it.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  excuse  is 
sometimes  urged  for  going  to  hell. 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  I93 

*'Who  made  hell?"  asked  the  villager. 

''Who  made  the  district  jail?"  I  inquired,  in  turn, 
anticipating  the  drift  of  his  objection,  and,  Yankee- 
like, answering  his  question  by  asking  another. 

**The  magistrate,"  somewhat  puzzled. 

''For  whom?" 

"Bad  people." 

"Did  he  make  it  that  people  might  become  bad 
and  go  there,  or  that,  if  any  should  become  bad, 
they  might  be  shut  up  and  punished  there?" 

"The  jail  was  not  made  to  make  people  bad." 

"Is  it  an  excuse  for  badness?" 

"No,"  having  penetrated  the  argument. 

"Will  the  magistrate  be  happy  if  the  jail  be  full, 
or  pleased  if  it  be  empty?" 

"Empty,"  in  a  tone  of  defeat. 

"Now,  my  man,  apply  all  this  to  God  and  his 
jail— hell." 

''Achchha''  (very  well). 

The  object  of  his  silly  quibble  was  an  apology 
for  a  life  of  sin.  Hell  was  made  to  be  filled  with 
wicked  people,  and  some  must  be  wicked  to  carry 
out  the  plans  of  the  Almighty.  We  found  several 
of  our  religious  books  and  tracts  in  this  place,  with 
two  or  three  copies  of  Gospels.  The  teacher  seems 
to  have  encouraged  the  purchase  of  books  from  the 
colporteurs,  which  is  quite  remarkable,  as  he  is  a 
Mohammedan.  Off  he  sent  a  man  running,  to  bring 
his  tract  and  show  us  how  well  he  could  read  it. 
The  man  soon  brought  the  tract,  and  read  a  few 
lines  for  us. 

The  North  India  Bible   Society  is  doing  a  good 
17 


194  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

work  in  the  system  of  colportage  it  has  organ- 
ized. This,  in  connection  with  the  North  India 
Tract  Society,  furnishes  large  numbers  of  Scriptures 
and  rehgious  pubhcations  for  distribution,  by  sale 
or  gratis,  throughout  the  country.  The  Scriptures 
are  bound  up  in  all  forms,  so  that  the  Old  Testa- 
ment may  be  purchased  in  two  volumes,  and  the 
New  Testament  in  one  volume,  or  fragmentary  por- 
tions may  be  purchased  in  separate  binding.  The 
Bible  Society  supports  numerous  colporteurs,  who 
traverse  the  country  in  all  directions,  and  insinuate 
the  Scriptures  and  religious  publications  every-where. 
These  publications  are  making  an  impression  on  the 
people.  We  often  find  them  in  unthought-of  places, 
and  in  hands  where  we  had  little  expected  to  meet 
them.  The  missionary  cause  in  India  finds  able  sup- 
port in  these  societies. 

In  the  evening,  an  hour  before  sunset,  we  went 
into  our  camp-village,  going  this  time  to  a  different 
chaupal,  by  an  alley  that  led  between  high,  tottering 
mud  walls.  The  villagers  pointed  to  a  place  where 
a  wall  had  fallen,  in  the  last  rains,  and  crushed  some 
cattle  to  death.  During  the  continued  and  deluging 
rains  of  the  wet  season,  it  is  no  uncommon  thing 
for  natives  to  be  crushed  beneath  the  old  walls  of 
their  mud  houses.  Hundreds  of  such  deaths  are  re- 
ported. We  found  the  chaupal  on  a  high  elevation 
of  earth,  quite  overlooking  a  large  part  of  the  vil- 
lage. In  the  damp,  rainy  months,  an  elevation  like 
this  is  deemed  by  the  natives  a  great  comfort.  The 
gong  was  sounded,  and  a  half-hundred  hearers  came 
together.      All   listened   in   the   best   of  spirits;    and 


TO   '« CAMP-MEETING."         '  I95 

the  teacher  of  the  village  school,  who  was  present 
also,  urged  us  to  come  to  the  school  for  another 
meeting,  which  we  promised,  and  returned  to  camp 
for  the  night. 

November  23. — Was  up  long  before  dawn  of  day. 
Lights  were  suspended  from  the  trees,  while  the 
tents  were  struck  and  loaded  for  the  march.  As  the 
"gray  streaks  of  the  morning"  stole  up  the  sky, 
the  carts  were  ready  to  put  off  on  a  two  days' 
march  to  Tilhar,  where  the  camp-meeting  is  to  be 
held.  I  pushed  forward  on  horseback,  intending  to 
preach  by  the  way,  and  reach  the  camp-ground  by  a 
different  route.  First,  I  pulled  up  at  a  village  called 
Saingeny,  passing  an  encampment  of  gypsies,  called 
here,  Kanjars.  They  are  the  lowest,  and  most  de- 
graded and  vagrant  class  of  people  in  the  country. 
They  have  no  settled  home,  but  move  about  the 
country,  stopping  for  a  time  on  the  outskirts  of 
some  town  or  village.  For  habitations,  they  live, 
wet  season  and  dry,  in  little,  low  booths,  made  of 
reeds,  which  they  can  take  up  on  their  heads,  or 
carry  away  on  their  wretched  little  ponies,  when 
they  move.  Ostensibly,  they  work  at  making  bas- 
kets, sieves,  and  a  kind  of  thatching,  from  light, 
pithy  reeds,  called  sentha;  but,  for  them,  their  most 
profitable  trade  seems  to  be  thieving.  They  are 
notorious  rogues,  filching  and  stealing  whatever  they 
can  carry  away.  It  seems  often  a  mystery  how  they 
live,  during  the  heavy  rains,  in  such  habitations  as 
they  have;  yet  they  flourish,  and  seem  happy  as 
the  most  favored  of  the  populaton.  They  have 
become   hardy  as  the   wild   animals    of   the  jungle. 


196  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

They  eat  the  flesh  of  snakes,  Hzards,  dogs,  wolves, 
jackals,  and  indeed  of  any  animal,  and  of  animals 
found  dead,  if  not  too  far  decayed.  One  of  these 
Kanjars  showed  me  the  way  to  the  chaupal  of  the 
village,  where  a  good  crowd  soon  collected.  They 
listened  attentively,  sitting  round  a  little,  sluggish 
fire,  meantime  passing  the  hukka  from  mouth  to 
mouth. 

Leaving  this  village,  I  galloped  down  the  road 
and  across  a  field  to  another  village,  called  Lainara. 
In  one  end  of  the  place,  surrounded  by  a  high  mud 
wall,  I  found  a  large,  well-built  chaupal,  where  I  sat 
down,  and  sent  a  man  to  call  a  congregation.  In 
the  chaupal  were  some  dusty,  English,  cane-bot- 
tomed chairs,  while  from  the  walls  were  suspended  a 
few  native  paintings,  representing  some  of  the  gods 
and  goddesses  of  the  Hindu  pantheon,  suggestive 
enough  of  those  ancient  days  when  some  of  these 
divinities  fought  and  figured  in  this  abode  of  mor- 
tals. Some  strong,  thick,  leather  shields,  embossed 
with  brass,  hung  side  by  side  with  the  pictures. 
As  I  looked  on  these,  I  thought  of  the  dim,  uncer- 
tain past  in  Hindu  annals,  when  the  incarnation, 
Krishnu,  the  Hercules  of  Hindustan,  slew  huge 
monsters  and  fought  brave  battles;  and  when  King 
Rama,  another  incarnation,  aided  by  an  army  of  mon- 
keys, pushed  his  victorious  campaign  against  Rawan, 
the  monster  king  of  Lanka,  or  Ceylon. 

Meanwhile,  a  crowd  of  natives  had  come  in 
and  seated  themselves  in  two  groups,  the  highest 
caste  in  one,  in  another  cultivators  and  coolies.  The 
higher  caste  fellows  appropriated  the  chairs  and  cots 


TO  » CAMP-MEETING."  I97 

under  the  roof  of  the  chaupal,  leaving  their  country- 
men, of  less  ** gentle  blood,"  to  sit  on  their  heels 
outside.  This  they  did  with  a  matter-of-course  air, 
and  turned  up  good-humored  faces,  to  hear  what  I 
had  to  say.  Although  this  village  is  at  a  distance 
from  any  we  have  before  visited,  I  found  that  my 
hearers  had  some  knowledge  of  the  Christian  relig- 
ion, and  were  not  unfavorably  disposed  to  hear.  I 
talked  to  them  of  the  sinfulness  of  the  human  heart, 
and  presented  Jesus  as  the  Divine  Savior  from  sin 
and  endless  ruin.  All  heard  in  a  hopefully  acqui- 
escent spirit;  not  wrangling,  and  *' answering  again," 
as  they  do  in  many  villages.  Several  questions  were 
asked  in  a  true  and  sincere  spirit  of  inquiry. 

I  felt,  as  I  left  the  village,  that  a  great  and  urgent 
want  among  the  people  is  faithful,  intelligent,  kind- 
hearted  men,  who  can  go  about  the  country,  and  live 
the  Gospel  which  they  preach  to  the  villagers.  We 
need  more  simple,  popular  preaching,  full  of  stories 
and  illustrations,  such  as  an  Oriental  likes.  Euro- 
pean missionaries  are  too  few  in  number  to  supply 
this  want.  Moreover,  they  can  move  about  the 
country  but  a  few  months  in  the  year.  During  the 
hot  and  rainy  months  they  are  of  but  little  use  for 
this  work.  As  yet,  we  have  but  few  native  preach- 
ers of  the  kind  needed.  Too  many  of  them  are 
wanting  in  the  religious  and  mental  character  requi- 
site for  this  work.  We  have  a  few  real  evangelists 
among  the  native  brethren.  More  of  them  are  a 
felt  want.  May  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  speed  the 
day  when  a  large  number  of  them,  with  heart  and 
brain   touched   with    the    Divine    fire,    may  be   ''all 


198  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

scattered  abroad  throughout  the  regions  of"  Rohll- 
kund  and  Oude! 

Pushing  on  down  the  dusty  road,  that  led,  by 
a  gentle  declination,  to  the  Ramgunga  River,  I 
passed  the  carts  and  men,  laboring  through  the 
abundant  white  sand  that  lines  the  course  of  Indian 
rivers.  Over  the  river,  by  an  undulating  bridge  of 
old  boats,  I  soon  reached  Khera  Bajhera,  where  I 
was  to  spend  a  day.  Khera  Bajhera  is  a  large  vil- 
lage, or,  rather,  pair  of  villages,  where  one  Colonel 
Gowan  was  sheltered  for  some  months  in  the  houses 
of  two  Hindus,  during  the  fearful  mutiny  of  1857. 
In  gratitude  to  his  preservers,  he  *has  caused  a  good 
school-house  to  be  erected  here,  in  connection  with 
houses  for  teachers  and  a  native  helper.  He  has 
put  up  these  buildings  at  a  cost  of  eight  thousand 
rupees  (;^4,ooo),  and  settled  an  endowment  of  five 
thousand  rupees  on  the  school.  The  Colonel  was 
saved,  in  a  wonderful  manner,  from  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  savage  mutineers,  and  carries  a  lively 
impression  that  a  special  interposition  of  Divine 
Providence  preserved  him  in  those  awful  days.  He 
was  a  captain  over  a  company  of  Sepoys  when  the 
mutiny  broke  out  at  Bareilly.  A  number  of  officers 
and  civilians  were  murdered;  and,  in  the  excitement 
of  that  desperate  hour,  he  got  separated  from  a 
party  of  men  who  were  escaping  to  Nynee  Tal. 
Escape  being  cut  off  in  that  direction,  he  set  out 
alone  to  make  his  way  south,  hoping  to  reach  the 
English  lines,  where  the  mutinous  infection  had  not 
yet  spread.  He  was  overhauled  by  natives,  w^ho  did 
not  care  to  murder  him,  and  robbed  of  every  thing 


TO  '« CAMP-MEETING."  I99 

he  had,  even  to  the  last  bit  of  clothing  he  had  on 
his  body.  Several  attempts  were  made,  by  hostile 
natives,  to  murder  him;  but  friendly  villagers  con- 
cealed him  in  the  jungle,  and  gave  him  a  part  of 
their  own  clothing.  He  was  led  away  from  the 
main  road,  and  from  village  to  village,  eluding  his 
pursuers  till  he  reached  Khera  Bajhera,  where  a 
poor  Brahmin  named  Gunga  Ram  took  him  in,  after 
he  had  been  repulsed  from  the  door  of  the  chief 
village  zemindar,  who,  although  not  showing  him 
actual  violence,  refused  him  any  kind  of  aid.  Gunga 
Ram  was  this  zemindar's  servant.  He  and  his  friend 
Bika  Sing  kept  Colonel  Gowan  concealed  in  their 
houses  several  months,  and  completely  deceived  the 
hostile  natives  as  to  his  being  there.  Without,  all 
over  the  country,  raged  the  awful  storm  of  fire  and 
blood,  while  he  remained  for  long  months,  in  painful 
anxiety  and  suspense,  in  this  seclusion.  How  he 
spent  his  time  may  be  learned  from  his  own  words: 
''When  I  first  was  taken  in  by  Gunga  Ram,  he 
gave  me  a  bed  in  a  hut  full  of  b/ioosa  (chaff),  on  the 
top  of  which  I  used  to  lie  all  day  long;  and  very 
hot  it  was.  At  night,  I  used  to  sleep  in  the  open 
air,  among  the  cattle.  This,  however,  was  for  but  a 
few  days,  until  he  built  up  the  walls  of,  and  covered 
in,  a  house  which  had  fallen  down.  This  hut  was 
the  size  of  a  hill  tent,  having  one  door,  and  the 
upper  part  of  one  end  left  open.  In  this  my  bed 
was  placed,  in  a  corner;  and  the  rest  was  left  bare, 
except  that  some  straw  was  placed  near  the  door,  to 
make  believe  that  the  house  was  used  to  store  straw 
in,   but  really  to  hide  my  bed.     At  first,   I  used  to 


200  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

wear  the  banyan  and  paijamas  (native  pants) ;  but, 
from  the  great  perspiration  thereby  induced,  I  was 
soon  covered  all  over  with  prickly  heat,  and  became 
as  red  as  a  lobster,  so  that  it  was  agony  to  me  to 
wipe  myself  dry  after  bathing.  Bika  Sing,  conse- 
quently, advised  me  to  dress  more  lightly,  which  I 
did,  discarding  the  banyan  and  paijamas,  and  wear- 
ing a  dhote  (hip-cloth) ;  and  the  prickly  heat  soon 
disappeared.  In  my  den,  I  used  to  walk  up  and 
down,  eight  paces  at  a  time,  and,  by  counting  the 
paces,  was  able  to  ascertain  the  distance  walked 
each  day — five,  six,  seven,  or  eight  miles. 

*'As  may  be  supposed,  my  days  appeared  very, 
very  long,  even  though  I  shortened  them  by  sleep- 
ing as  much  as  possible,  getting  up  very  late,  which, 
also,  was  necessary  from  the  late  hours  the  family 
kept.  I  used  to  awake  before  day-break,  take  my 
bed  inside,  and  then  go  to  sleep  again  until  about 
seven  or  eight  o'clock,  when  my  friends  would  awake 
me,  bring  me  water  to  wash,  a  piece  of  a  neem- 
bough  for  a  tooth-brush,  and  afterward  my  breakfast, 
which  usually  consisted  of  chapatees,  milk,  curds, 
and  sweetmeat  of  some  kind.  After  I  had  eaten 
the  breakfast,  fire  was  brought  for  me  to  light  my 
chillam  (pipe).  According  to  circumstances,  my  de- 
votions were  performed,  sometimes  before,  some- 
times after,  my  breakfast.  After  the  smoke,  I  used 
to  take  my  exercise  by  walking  up  and  down  my 
den  until  I  had  completed  one,  two,  three,  or  four 
miles,  when  I  would  sit  or  lie  down,  or  perhaps 
have  a  smoke  first.  Thus  about  the  first  half  of 
the  day  would   have  gone,  and   the  brothers  would 


TO  <' CAMP-MEETING."  201 

come  ill  from  their  field-labors  to  bathe  and  eat  their 
dinner. 

"I  should  have  mentioned  that  Gunga  Ram  gave 
me,  on  the  first  day,  a  copy,  in  Nagri,  of  Deuteron- 
omy, which  he  had  received  from  a  missionary  at 
Shajehanpore,  while  he  was  yet  a  sepoy;  and  I  used 
to  read  a  chapter  or  more  of  this  at  a  time,  not 
only  morning  and  evening,  but  also  whenever  I  lay 
down,  receiving  the  comfort  and  consolation  which 
is  conveyed  by  a  prayerful  perusal  of  any  part  of 
the  Holy  Word.  Bika  Sing  afterward  gave  me  a 
cop3^  of  Luke's  Gospel,  and  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  so  that  I  had  the  additional  benefit  of 
studying  the  conduct  and  life  of  our  Great  Exem- 
plar, and  of  his  most  energetic  apostle.  And  what 
new  light  was  thrown  on  the  Scriptures !  I  had  read 
and  read  the  works  now  before  me  over  and  over 
again,  and  was  very  well  acquainted  with  not  only 
the  facts,  but  the  phraseology;  but  never  did  I  read 
with  so  clear  a  perception  of  the  meaning,  or  feel 
how  applicable  the  various  parts  are  to  ourselves,  as 
a  people  or  individually.  I  am  thankful  to  think 
that  I  derived  great  benefit  from  my  reading,  and 
pray  that  I  may  never  forget  the  lessons  I  then 
learned.  I  had  but  these  three  books  for  two  and  a 
half  months. 

''When  Gunga  Ram  or  his  brother  had  finished 
their  pooja  (worship),  one  of  them  used  to  bring  me 
my  dinner,  which  consisted  of  cJiapatccs  and  curried 
vegetables  in  general,  though  sometimes  I  had  kheer 
(that  is,  rice  boiled  in  milk  and  sweetened),  and 
other  delicacies.     The  food,   though  plain,  was  very 


202  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

palatable.  The  only  fault  I  had  to  find  with  it — 
and  this  was  corrected  as  soon  as  I  mentioned 
it — \vas  the  amount  of  gJiee  (melted  butter)  and  of 
salt,  as  well  as  red  pepper,  in  the  curries.  The 
ghce>  was  very  good,  pure,  and  fresh ;  but  I  never 
could  bear  much  grease  in  my  food,  and  natives  are 
proverbial  for  the  quantity  of  salt  they  consume,  as 
well  as  for  their  fondness  for  hot  spices. 

"When  I  had  gone  to  Bika  Sing's  house,  my 
manner  of  living  was  much  the  same ;  but  the  house 
was  larger,  and  I  did  not  see  the  females,  the  build- 
ing being  separated  into  three  inclosures  by  high 
walls.  I  was,  also,  permitted  to  speak  aloud,  and 
was  left  less  to  myself,  as  there  were  several  males 
of  the  family,  and  these  did  not  follow  the  plow. 
Bika  Sing  is  a  pundit,  or  one  learned  in  the  religious 
works  of  the  Hindus,  has  traveled  a  good  deal  in 
Oude,  and  as  far  as  Jagarnath,  and  is  fond  of  talk- 
ing, so  that  here  my  time  fell  less  heavily  on  my 
hands.  At  the  outer  door  of  his  house  was  the 
chaupal,  where  the  gossips  assembled  of  an  after- 
noon, and  where  all  the  current  rumors  were  uttered, 
and  many  of  them  concocted,  or  at  least  improved, 
much  in  the  manner  reports  are  set  afloat  or  im- 
proved at  our  coffee-shops.  All  were  brought  to 
me,  and  my  opinion  asked  as  to  the  truth  or  other- 
w^ise  of  our  having  'leather  guns,'  of  our  being  able 
to  fire  off  a  number  of  guns  at  a  time,  which  it  was 
said  was  done  at  Cawnpore,  when  our  forces  reached 
that  station,  and  other  such  questions.  Of  course,  I 
was  frequently  asked  as  to  the  cause  of  the  mutiny, 
and   invariably  told   them   that   it  was   the   hope   of 


TO   "CAMP-MEETING."  203 

getting  the  rule  into  their  own  hands,  on  the  part 
of  the  Mussuhnans,  and  of  avarice,  on  that  of  the 
Sepoys;  that  the  latter  knew  well  enough  that  none 
of  the  rumors  about  'greased  cartridges'  and  'bone- 
dust  atah '  [flour]  had  the  slightest  foundation  in 
fact,  and  that  they  would  in  time  bitterly  repent  of 
their  folly.  I  also  told  them  that  I  was  perfectly 
well  aware  that  not  one  single  regiment,  regular  or 
irregular,  cavalry  or  infantry,  was  to  be  trusted,  but 
that,  notwithstanding  this,  I  was  sure  we  should  in 
the  end  subdue  all  our  enemies;  for  that,  though  we 
had  numerous  shortcomings,  yet  I  fully  believed 
that  God  would  aid  us;  and  that,  though  the  Mus- 
sulmans slew  every  European  in  the  country,  England 
would  never  loose  her  hold  on  India,  for  that  India  was 
her  life  -  blood — India  given  up,  England  must  die  ; 
and  therefore  that,  for  every  Englishman  killed,  three 
at  least,  if  not  five,  would  come  and  wreak  vengeance 
on  the  murderers  of  women  and  children,  and  the 
destroyers  of  the  tombs  of  our  relatives  and  friends. 
I  said  that  this  vengeance  would  be  one  worthy  of 
England — not  a  petty,  malicious  one,  as  they  ex- 
pected; that,  though  our  women  and  children  had 
been  murdered,  we  would  not  follow  the  example 
set  us,  but  show  our  detestation  of  those  crimes  by 
sparing  the  defenseless.  I  told  them,  and  Gunga 
Ram  here  corroborated  what  I  said,  that  in  the 
Sutlej  campaign,  although  the  Sikhs  murdered  our 
poor  wounded  soldiers',  whom  they  had  found  being 
conveyed  in  doolies,  yet  we  had  had  the  Sikh  sol- 
diers, who  had  been  wounded,  conveyed  to  our 
hospitals,  and  there  cured.     That  was  our  custom  in- 


204  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

war;  that  we  detested  cruelty,  and  admired  a  brave 
foe;  and  fought  with  armies  and  rebels,  but  not 
with  individuals.  Bika  Sing  responded  to  a  good 
deal  of  this,  but  said  he  hoped  we  would  exterminate 
the  Mussulmans  root  and  branch,  or,  as  he  expressed 
it,  'destroy  the  very  seed.'  " 

When  the  English  columns  began  to  retake  the 
country,  Colonel  Gowan  escaped  from  this  place,  and 
was  conducted  by  these  faithful  villagers  to  a  party 
who  had  approached  to  rescue  him.  When  order 
was  restored  in  the  country,  he  had  Gunga  Ram, 
Bika  Sing,  and  others  that  had  befriended  him,  re- 
warded with  grants  of  confiscated  land. 

Joseph  Angelo,  a  native  helper,  and  his  wife, 
Mary,  live  at  Khera  Bajhera.  As  I  neared  the  house, 
riding  through  the  trees  of  the  grove  in  which  the 
school-house  and  other  buildings  have  been  erected, 
the  first  being  I  saw  was  old  Joseph,  looking  shorter 
and  more  frizzed  and  grizzly  than  ever.  I  had  not 
seen  him  for  some  months.  He  was  my  native  col- 
league, in  Budaon,  for  nearly  three  years.  As  usual, 
he  was  dressed  in  a  nondescript  garb,  neither  Hin- 
dustani nor  English,  but  such  a  blending  of  both  as 
to  make  him  look  ludicrous  enough.  On  his  feet 
were  old  clouted  English  shoes,  while  over  a  long 
white  shirt,  worn  outside  of  his  pants,  he  had  put 
on  a  shabby  English  vest.  After  salutation,  up  came 
Mary,  his  wife,  the  best  native  Christian  woman  I 
have  met  in  India.  She  is  a  short,  corpulent  little 
woman,  with  a  rotund,  laughing  face;  and,  although 
still  young,  is  the  mother  of  seven  children,  who 
were   soon   about   us  too,   grinning   and   chattering. 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  205 

One  little  girl  held  up  the  baby,  which  I  had  not 
before  seen,  exclaiming,  **  Sahib,  this  is  Nebuchad- 
nezzar." Nebuchadnezzar,  a  Httle  sable  fellow, 
about  six  months  old,  sprawled  his  naked  legs  and 
arms  about  him,  quite  unappreciative  of  the  exhibi- 
tion that  was  being  made  of  his  babyship.  Tip,  a 
gaunt  spaniel,  which  had  not  seen  me  for  a  long 
time,  came  up,  with  an  affectionate  grin  of  recogni- 
tion, flaunting  his  long  bushy  tail  in  a  most  welcome 
and  friendly  manner. 

I  put  up  in  the  school-house  built  by  Colonel 
Gowan,  occupying  a  suite  of  rooms  he  had  made  in 
the  house  for  the  accommodation  of  Europeans  who 
might  wish  to  stop  here. 

My  native  Christian  friends,  old  Joseph  and  his 
wife,  were  most  assiduous  in  their  simple-hearted 
kindness.  I  had  some  food  with  me,  but  they  in- 
sisted on  my  eating  something  prepared  by  them 
while  I  stayed;  so  Tip  and  the  swarm  of  little 
swarthy  Angelos  became  beneficiaries  to  what  I  had 
brought. 

Soon  Mary  had  a  plate  piled  with  smoking  palau 
before  me.  Palau  is  a  dish  of  meat  and  rice,  cooked 
together  in  some  savory  way  that  makes  it,  to  my 
taste,  very  palatable.  With  palau  and  chapatees, 
and  a  good  hot  omelet,  which  Mary  had  somehow 
learned  to  make  excellently  well,  I  fared  like  a  king, 
finishing  a  hearty  breakfast  with  a  capital  cup  of  tea. 

After  a  short  nap,  to  make  up  for  my  early 
march,  and  to  remove  the  weariness  of  a  long  ride, 
I  was  ready  to  inspect  the  Khera  Bajhera  school. 
First,  I  went  with  Mary  to  a  girls'  school,  which  she 


206  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

keeps  up  in  the  village.  A  dozen  little  girls,  some 
of  them  very  pretty,  were  sitting  on  a  mat,  conning 
away,  in  a  noisy  hum-drum,  at  their  lessons.  Mary 
silenced  her  pupils,  and  I  heard  a  lesson  from  each 
of  them  in  turn.  They  then  recited  what  they  knew 
of  the  multiplication-table.  A  pice,  thrown  at  the 
feet  of  each  little  girl,  made  their  jetty  eyes  sparkle 
with  delight. 

The  question  of  female  education  is  now  exciting 
the  attention  of  the  English  government  in  India. 
The  education  of  boys  has  called  forth  thought  and 
legislation  and  effort,  worthy  of  so  great  a  nation  in 
its  domination  and  guardianship  over  this  great 
country.  A  most  successful  educational  system  has 
been  established  throughout  the  British  Indian  pos- 
sessions. Thousands  of  schools  have  been  opened, 
coUecres  have  been  erected,  tens  of  thousands  of 
pupils  are  attending  school,  millions  of  rupees  have 
been  spent — but  all  for  boys.  The  national  and 
social  prejudices  of  the  natives  have  withheld  the 
boon  of  mental  light  and  culture  from  the  female 
mind  of  India.  Woman,  in  being  taught,  would  be 
unwomaned,  and  rendered  capable  of  mischief,  was 
the  sentiment  of  the  people,  small  and  great.  But  a 
change  is  coming  over  their  minds  on  this  vital 
question.  In  the  circles  of  native  society  it  is 
being  mooted,  while  the  government,  catching  at  the 
desirable  opportunity,  is  taking  up  the  matter  wisely. 
Generous  financial  aid  is  offered  for  girls'  schools, 
and  a  system  of  inspection  is  growing  up.  Already 
many  schools  are  at  work,  and  we  have  the  dawnings 
of  mental  day  for  women  in  India.      The  natives  act 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING." 


207 


slowly,  and  many  of  them  suspiciously  regard  the 
whole  movement,  as  a  hurtful  innovation,  fraught 
with  danger  to  the  social  weal.  The  girls'  school 
here  is  supported  by  government.  Under  the  im- 
pulse of  some  panic  or  suspicion,  two  or  three  times, 
the  pupils  were  nearly  all  withdrawn.  Again  they 
returned,  and  the  school  now  enjoys  more  confi- 
dence. All  regard  the  native  Christian  mistress  as 
a  most  estimable  person,  I  find. 

I  also  examined  the  boys'  school,  in  the  house 
where  I  stopped.  About  fifty  lads  are  enrolled, 
eight  or  ten  of  whom  are  trying  to  study  English, 
with  not  very  flattering  success.  They  need  a  good 
teacher  very  much.  Old  Joseph's  boy,  Johnny,  does 
the  best  he  can  as  teacher,  but  needs  teaching  him- 
self yet.  There  are  some  consonants  in  English 
which  try  the  native  vocal  organs  much,  as  .y  in 
the  beginning  of  words,  which,  with  difficulty,  they 
avoid  prefacing  with  a  short  i  sound.  Many  have 
difficulty  in  enouncing  sh,  failing  to  combine  the  h 
with  the  s.  Again,  r  is  made  to  vibrate  too  much 
from  the  point  of  the  tongue  pointed  toward  the 
teeth,  and  is  uttered  as  the  common  r  sound  in 
Hindustani.  The  variations  of  the  vowel  sounds 
into  long,  short,  broad,  etc.,  perplex  the  learner 
very  much  in  pronunciation.  The  position  that  the 
English  language  will  take  in  India  is  yet  problem- 
atic. The  government  is  doing  much  to  encourage 
its  study,  and  tens  of  thousands  of  pupils  are  learn- 
ing English. 

The  whole  question  of  education  is  a  very  im- 
portant   one   to   the    missionary.      Some    have    held 


208  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

extreme  views  on  the  subject:  on  the  one  hand, 
regarding  schools  and  an  educational  department  of 
missionary  work  as  an  unjustifiable  innovation,  not 
authorized  by  the  Word  of  God  or  primitive  mis- 
sionary practice;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  a  few 
missionaries  have  seemed  to  regard  education  as  the 
highest  and  most  hopeful  means  of  destroying  idol- 
atry and  evangelizing  India.  A  medium  view,  no 
doubt,  is  the  true  one,  and  is  adopted  by  nearly  all 
Indian  missionaries.  They  look  upon  schools  and 
educational  effort  as  an  important  auxiliary  in  the 
evangelization  of  India,  and  hence  devote  a  part 
of  their  time  to  educational  enterprises.  The  most 
obvious  advantages  of  schools  may  be  stated  thus: 
They  enlighten  the  people,  and  open  the  way  for 
the  truth;  they  conciliate  the  people,  and  secure 
access  to  them ;  they  constitute  audiences  for  the 
religious  instructions  of  the  missionary;  they  rapidly 
affect  public  sentiment  by  sapping  the  foundation  of 
heathenism  and  idolatry.  Thus  education  has  a  vital 
connection  with  mission  work;  and  the  fruit  of  the 
schools  in  converts,  being  larger  than  from  any  other 
source,  and  with  less  labor,  demonstrates  their  value. 
One  of  the  teachers  in  this  school,  a  Brahmin,  I 
found  to  be  a  rather  interesting  character.  He  is  a 
grim-looking  fellow,  affected  with  a  muscular  twitch- 
ing in  the  right  side  of  his  neck,  accompanied  with 
a  stoppage  in  his  utterance.  He  professed  to  be 
greatly  out  of  conceit  of  the  goodness  of  his  heart, 
stating  that  he  was  much  troubled  with  anger  in 
particular.  The  New  Testament,  he  said,  as  he  read 
it,  is  a  most  excellent  book,     I  urged  him  to  keep 


TO  ♦•CAMP-MEETING."  2O9 

on  his  reading,  accompanied  with  prayer,  assuring 
him  that  Jesus  can  save  from  anger  and  all  sin. 
This  man  has  become  very  friendly  and  intimate 
with  the  native  Christian  family  at  this  place. 

Missionaries,  after  a  time  in  the  country,  become 
wary  of  inquirers  when  they  first  present  them- 
selves. They  are  so  frequently  deceived  that  they 
learn  to  be  cautious.  Natives  often  come  to  the 
missionary  as  inquirers,  and  are  taught  and  encour- 
aged for  a  time,  secure  some  advantage  in  some 
way,  and  then  withdraw.  Often  they  wish  to  get 
into  favor  with  the  missionary,  as  a  means  to 
some  kind  of  employment;  and,  having  gained  their 
object  by  securing  a  recommendation  to  the  magis- 
trate or  some  European,  they  abandon  their  investi- 
gation of  Christianity.  These  unworthy  characters 
go  back,  in  the  end.  True  seekers  can  be  distin- 
guished, after  a  time. 

During  the  day,  one  of  Colonel  Gowan's  old 
friends  called  on  me,  bringing,  as  a  present,  a  lota 
(brass  vessel)  full  of  milk.  He  is  a  Brahmin,  who 
assisted  in  concealing  the  Colonel  from  the  blood- 
thirsty insurgents.  In  return,  he  has  received  half 
the  lands  of  a  small  village,  as  a  grateful  gift.  I 
found  him  to  be  a  stupid  kind  of  man,  with  but 
little  to  say.  He  sat  for  nearly  an  hour,  looking 
at  me,  with  a  friendly,  half-silly  smirk  on  his  face, 
speaking  only  when  prompted  by  a  question.  By 
and  by,  he  left,  taking  his  empty  lota,  but  was  back, 
toward  evening,  parading  a  gun,  which  he  had  just 
purchased.  I  eulogized  his  gun,  inspecting  it  from 
end   to  end,   which  evoked   a  pleased  simper  in  his 

18 


2IO  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

vacant  face.  In  questioning  him  about  his  family,  I 
learned  that  he  has  two  brothers,  who  have  with- 
drawn from  the  world,  and  are  living  the  lives  of 
holy  hermits,  in  a  httle,  thatched  mud  house,  a  half- 
mile  out  from  the  village.  He  told  me,  that,  for 
some  years,  his  brothers  have  eaten  nothing  but 
cow's  milk,  in  some  form.  To  a  Hindu,  any  thing 
from  the  cow,  even  the  vilest  excrement,  is  holy 
and  purifying.  Living,  thus,  on  cow's  milk,  is  con- 
sidered very  sanctifying  and  meritorious.  I  had 
some  little  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  my  quiet, 
simple-hearted  friend.  It  seemed  to  be  a  satisfac- 
tion to  him  to  sit  and  look  at  me,  in  a  vacant  way. 
November  24.  — The  sun  was  pouring  •  a  flood 
of  golden  light  through  the  trees,  and  round  the 
grove-embowered  school-house,  when  I  awoke  in 
the  morning.  A  window,  near  my  bed,  opened 
in  the  direction  of  old  Joseph's  house,  which  was 
near  by.  Others  were  up  before  me.  Some  of 
Mary's  children  were  already  racing  about  the  yard, 
merry  and  noisy,  as  children  are,  the  world  over. 
Old  Joseph,  in  the  hybrid  costume  of  his  odd  fancy, 
was  feeding  a  motley  group  of  domestic  fowls,  while 
Tip  wagged  his  heavy  tail,  and  looked  on.  A  squall 
of  mortal  terror,  from  one  of  the  fowls,  I  afterward 
found,  had  been  called  forth  on  my  account.  My 
taciturn  Brahmin  friend  of  yesterday  was  on  hand, 
when  I  stepped  out,  with  another  lota  of  milk, 
which  he  presented,  and  I  received  with  thanks, 
which  evoked  a  good-natured  grin.  I  breakfasted 
sumptuously  off  the  fowl,  which  was  made  into  a 
curry,  and  placed  by  a  plate  of  smoking  rice.     The 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  211 

curry,  suggested  by  some  one  to  be  the  "savory 
meat"  of  the  patriarch,  was  just  "such  as  I  love," 
such  as  only  a  native  can  make  exactly  to  my  taste, 
bating  a  little  too  much  pepper. 

Went  to  the  village  bazaar  with  Joseph  in  the 
evening.  It  was  a  noisy,  crowded  place.  First, 
Joseph  preached,  meeting  a  little  opposition  from 
some  wranglers;  and  then,  in  turn,  I  tried  to  point 
the  hearers  to  Christ  as  the  only  true  incarnation  and 
savior  from  sin.  Generally,  the  by-standers  listened 
with  manifest  interest,  although  one  obtrusive  fellow, 
with  an  impudent  face  and  manner,  thrust  some 
frivolous  objections  on  us,  which  I  have  heard  and 
answered  and  silenced  so  many  times  that  I  confess 
to  a  feehng  of  impatience  sometimes,  when  they  are. 
introduced  anew.  Here  were  a  number  of  people, 
who  evidently  wished  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say 
about  the  "great  salvation;"  but  this  fellow  mani- 
festly intended  that  they  should  not  hear,  and  tried 
to  get  up  a  diversion  for  this  end.  This  is  an  old 
trick  of  some  of  our  enemies.  He  began  with  some 
offensive  kind  of  remark  about  the  Son  of  God,  and 
the  impropriety  of  God  having  a  wife.  I  saw  where 
he  proposed  leading  us,  and  kindly  remarked  that  it 
was  not  pertinent  to  my  object  just  then  to  drop  the 
subject  that  I  was  trying  to  impress  on  the  listeners, 
and  take  up  the  point  that  he  so  irreverently  pre- 
sented ;  and,  leaving  him,  continued  talking  to  the 
crowd.  But  he  was  persistent;  and,  seeing  that  he 
was  not  likely  to  divert  my  attention,  he  also  turned 
and  began  to  harangue  those  about  him.  Fortu- 
nately, I  was  on  an  elevation  a  little  above  him,  and 


212  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

was  the  owner  of  lungs  more  effective  than  his — ad- 
vantages of  which  I  fully  availed  myself.  The 
intruder's  voice  was  drowned,  and  the  attention  of 
the  crowd  riveted,  to  his  evident  disgust,  as  he  threw 
up  his  arms  with  a  contemptuous  gesticulation  of 
refusing  to  hear,  and  pressed  through  the  crowd  and 
was  lost.  I  simply  went  on,  and  had  a  quiet  hear- 
ing. Joseph  sometimes  has  a  sorry  time  with  these 
pestilent  fellows,  no  doubt. 

In  the  evening,  I  baptized  his  youngest  child  in 
the  large  room  of  the  school-house,  a  number  of  the 
natives,  men  and  children,  being  present.  They  had 
never  seen  such  a  baptism  before,  and  manifested  no 
little  curiosity.  Mary  had  made  a  special  dinner  in 
honor  of  the  occasion,  for  a  full  share  of  which  I 
was  brought  in,  getting,  in  addition,  a  fresh  lot  of 
milk  from  my  quiet  friend,  the  Brahmin. 

November  25. — Early  in  the  morning  I  set  out, 
on  the  saddle,  for  Tilhar,  the  town  where  the  tents 
had  been  sent  forward,  and  where  it  was  proposed  to 
hold  a  camp-meeting,  in  connection  with  a  session 
of  the  district  association  for  native  helpers.  Tilhar 
was  distant  twelve  miles,  and  I  had  sent  one  horse 
forward  as  a  relay.  Now  trotting,  now  galloping,  I 
soon  reached  a  little  river,  where  the  horse  I  was 
riding  at  first  utterly  refused  to  go  on  the  ferry-boat, 
nor  did  any  amount  of  coaxing  and  pulling  and 
flogging  avail;  when,  at  last,  I  bethought  me  of 
blindfolding  him,  which  carried  the  point.  But  as 
the  boat  touched  the  opposite  shore  with  a  thump, 
he  staggered,  and  was  within  an  inch  of  pitching  off 
at  the  end  into  the  water. 


TO   "CAMP-MEETING."  21 3 

Over  the  river,  I  dashed  away,  and  soon  came  up 
to  my  second  horse,  which  quickly  carried  me  over 
the  remaining  six  miles.  Well  laid  on  blows  were 
ringing  through  the  grove,  as  the  tent-pitchers  were 
driving  stakes  and  putting  up  our  canvas  houses. 
Two  rows  of  tents  were  pitched,  forming  a  street, 
among  the  magnificent  mango-trees,  at  the  end  of 
which  an  immense  pavilion  was  put  up  for  the 
meetings.  Mrs.  Scott  and  the  children  had  arrived 
from  Bareilly.  Here  we  remain  for  several  days, 
holding  an  association  for  native  helpers,  not  unlike 
the  district  preachers'  meetings  in  America,  and  con- 
ducting a  camp-meeting,  as  at  home. 

December  2. — Camp-meeting  closed  with  glorious 
success.  It  was  a  ''time  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  oi  the  Lord."  No  new  names  have  been 
enrolled  among  the  Christians;  but  a  number  of  the 
enrolled  have  been  converted,  and  others  greatly 
blessed  and  encouraged.  Too  many  native  Chris- 
tians are  merely  such  in  name,  knowing  nothing  of 
the  "new  birth"  and  of  the  ''witness  of  the  Spirit." 
They  may  be  sincere  enough  in  their  profession  of 
Christianity,  but  have  not  fully  "learned  Christ." 
Frequently,  native  helpers,  themselves,  know  but 
little  of  comfort  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  have  but  little 
acquaintance  with  "experimental  religion." 

One  leading  object  in  appointing  this  camp- 
meeting  was  to  secure  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
on  the  native  Church.  About  one  hundred  native 
Christians  were  present.  In  the  opening  of  the 
meeting,  a  sermon  was  preached  from  the  text, 
"Have   ye   received   the    Holy    Ghost   since  ye  be- 


214  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

lieved?"  It  was  designed  to  awaken  deep  heart- 
searchings  in  the  native  Christians.  They  were 
urged  to  seek  for  a  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that 
would  fill  their  hearts  with  love,  and  thrill  their  souls 
with  holy  joy.  They  were  told  that  it  was  for  them 
to  enjoy  a  blessed  sense  of  pardon,  and  to  know  that 
God's  Spirit  gives  witness,  in  their  spirit,  of  their 
acceptance  with  God,  and  adoption  into  the  heavenly 
family.  Self-examination  was  aroused  in  all,  while 
some  were  led  to  dispute  the  possibility  or  reality 
of  such  a  communication  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
man's  heart.  When  the  missionaries  confidently 
affirmed  the  matter,  and  gave  in  proof  personal  ex- 
perience, they  were  still  more  confounded,  and  said 
among;  themselves  that  ''the  missionaries  would 
hardly  lie,"  but  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  which 
we  spoke,  seemed  impossible.  So  the  unrenewed 
mind  apprehendeth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit. 

Our  meetings  continued,  and  it  became  manifest 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  awakening  conviction  in 
some  hearts.  Confessions  of  sin  and  unworthiness 
were  fully  and  frankly  made,  and  tears  of  true  con- 
trition freely  flowed.  Here  was  a  real  awakening. 
Then  an  opportunity  was  given  for  any  who  were 
seeking  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  seek  it  in 
special  meetings  for  prayer.  Several  of  the  native 
Christians,  among  whom  were  some  exhorters  and 
preachers,  presented  themselves  as  ''seekers."  In 
some  of  these  meetings,  there  was  earnest  pleading 
with  God,  accompanied  with  strong  cries  and  tears. 
It  was  an  old,  familiar  scene  to  the  missionaries, 
witnessed  again,   after  years,   and   in  a  strange  land. 


TO  "CAMP-MEETING."  215 

Sometimes  it  so  happens,  that,  after  a  lapse  of  years, 
and  under  widely  different  circumstances,  a  familiar 
sound — the  chirping  or  whistling  of  a  bird,  a  strain 
in  a  well-known  song — calls  up,  with  life-like  vivid- 
ness and  freshness,  scenes  that  seemed  far  distant 
from  us,  and  fast  blending  with  the  hazy  memories 
of  the  past. 

These  meetings  carried  us  back  to  the  camp  of 
Israel,  in  our  distant  home,  with  its  songs  of  tri- 
umph, and  shouts  of  new-born  souls  emerged  into 
light  and  life.  We  lived  those  scenes  over  again, 
and  were  greatly  refreshed.  Missionaries,  '*in  a  dry 
and  thirsty  land,"  often  long  for  a  season  at  home, 
that  they  may  go  up  with  the  congregation  to  the 
sanctuary,  and  triumph  once  more,  ''when  times  of 
refreshing  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord." 
These  meetings  were  not  in  vain.  God  had  sent  his 
Spirit;  with  it  came  a  genuine  ''revival."  At  least 
twenty  persons  professed  to  have  received  a  precious 
blessing.  Some  were  the  clearest  cases  of  conver- 
sion. First  came  deep  penitence  and  contrition, 
then  the  struggle  for  pardon  and  acceptance,  till,  at 
last,  hope  and  persevering  trust  were  crowned  with 
the  overwhelming  Avave  of  joy  and  love  that  rolls 
over  the  new-born  soul  which  has  struggled  into  life. 
One  and  another  and  another  testified  of  the  "sweet 
Savior"  they  had  found.  That  holy  joy,  that  over- 
flowing love,  told  us  that  the  experience  was  a  gen- 
uine one.  Who  could  mistake  those  sudden,  earnest 
longings  for  the  conversion  of  friends  and  relations — 
who,  that  has  felt  the  same  tender  yearnings  go  forth 
from   a   new-born   heart?     One   convert   immediately 


2l6  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

began  to  talk  about  his  wife's  five  heathen  brothers, 
in  the  mountains,  declaring  that  he  felt  as  if,  were 
he  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  and  unable  to  walk,  he 
could  pitch  himself  off,  and  gladly,  rolling  over  and 
over,  reach  them  with  the  joyful  news,  and  persuade 
them  to  come  to  the  Savior.  Another  began  to  talk 
of  his  unconverted  heathen  relations  at  Calcutta. 

The  work  was  a  blessed  one — blessed  in  its  im- 
mediate results,  and  blessed  in  the  foundation  of 
good  it  has  laid  for  the  future.  Now,  as  in  apostolic 
days,  native  Christians  often  become  alienated  from 
the  missionaries.  The  exercise  of  needed  discipline 
among  them  has  much  to  do  with  this.  Often,  those 
who  have  been  the  subjects  of  wholesome  reproof, 
become  a  disaffecting  element  in  the  native  Church, 
spreading  discord  among  others,  and  begetting  ill- 
feeling  toward  the  missionaries;  besides  this,  dif- 
ference in  nationality,  in  manners  and  customs,  in 
habits  and  tastes,  separates  the  missionaries  from 
the  native  Christians,  who  are  often  far  too  exacting 
in  their  notions  of  what  they  should  expect  from 
missionaries.  As  missionaries,  we  had  often  seen 
and  felt  this  alienation,  and  had  discussed  meas- 
ures for  bringing  the  native  Christians  and  ourselves 
nearer  together.  This  revival  just  touched  the  point. 
It  fused  the  native  Christians  and  ourselves  together, 
as  we  had  never  blended  before.  Well  might  one 
sister  remark,  "How  much  nearer  they  seem  to  us!" 
The  real  difficulty  had  always  been  a  low  grade  of 
piety  among  the  Christians,  on  account  of  which 
they  were  not  prepared  to  appreciate  our  motives 
and    conduct    toward    them.      More    complete    one- 


TO   "CAMP-MEETING."  217 

ness  and  sympathy  was  an  immediate  result  of  this 
revival. 

Again,  it  is  of  immense  value  to  the  native 
Church  that  the  Christians  become  experimentally 
acquainted  with  the  **new  birth,"  and  the  ''witness 
of  the  Spirit."  A  clear,  practical  idea  of  conversion 
has  been  a  difficult  point  for  the  native  Christians  to 
gain.  It  is  a  blessed  fact  that,  at  this  camp-meeting, 
some,  emerged  into  day,  have  learned  what  it  is  to 
''be  born  again."  Living  "epistles,  known  and 
read  of  all  men,"  will  be  our  best  argument  in 
preaching  Christ  to  this  people.  Often,  in  presenting 
the  claims  of  the  Gospel,  the  fact  is  urged  that  Hin- 
duism and  Mohammedanism  have  done  nothing  to 
purify  the  hearts  of  the  people,  as  may  be  seen  in 
their  unholy  lives.  Sometimes  this  argument  is 
retorted  by  a  reference — alas,  too  appropriate — to 
the  spirit  and  conduct  of  many  native  Christians. 

19 


2l8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


IX. 

THE  RETURN  HOME. 

DECEMBER  3,  1868.— With  rejoiced  hearts,  we 
broke  up  camp  early  in  the  morning,  and 
started  toward  Budaon,  intending  to  stop  again,  on 
the  way,  at  Khera  Bajhera.  We  drove  part  of  the 
way  with  brother  Judd,  of  Bareilly  Station,  as  our 
road  for  a  distance  lay  in  the  same  direction.  Elma 
and  Alice  were  sent  in  a  dooly  by  a  near  way,  while 
we  drove  farther  round,  to  get  a  good  road  for  the 
vehicle.  When  we  reached  the  place,  some  five 
miles  distant,  where  we  expected  to  join  them,  they 
had  not  come  up;  so,  leaving  Mrs.  Scott  to  go  on 
in  the  conveyance  to  a  place  where  we  were  to  take 
the  saddle  for  Khera  Bajhera,  I  waited  for  the  coolies 
to  come  up  with  the  children.  Soon  the  faithful 
fellows  appeared,  with  their  precious  charge  all 
right,  trotting  and  grunting  in  their  own  peculiar 
way.  The  children  were  chatting  and  happy,  alone 
with  their  swarthy  carriers. 

A  walk  of  three  miles  brought  us  up  to  the 
saddled  horses.  We  had  been  delayed,  and  were 
still  to  ride  eight  miles  without  breakfast,  and  it  was 
now  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Mounting,  we 
started  across  the  fields  for  Khera  Bajhera,  keeping 
near  the   coolies  as  they  grunted  along.      How  hot 


THE  RETURN  HOME. 


219 


the  sun  seemed  to  us,  without  breakfast!  We  be- 
thought us  of  tea,  which,  fortunately,  we  had  in  the 
dooly.  People  in  India  often  carry  tea  for  such 
emergencies.  Bearing  from  our  course  a  little,  we 
pulled  up  in  a  grove  near  a  village,  for  an  attempt 
at  getting  a  cup  of  tea.  Fire  was  brought,  and 
soon  the  coolies  had  a  lota  of  water  steaming  away 
over  some  blazing  sticks.  The  tea  was  made  in  a 
fruit-can  from  Martinsville,  Ohio.  How  delicious 
that  tea  and  bread  seemed,  partaken  in  the  friendly 
shade  of  those  mango-trees !  Our  cups  were  impro- 
vised from  stiff  wrapping-paper,  in  which  the  bread 
had  been  put  up. 

Refreshed  and  remounted,  we  pushed  on  to 
Khera  Bajhera,  passing  several  villages.  One  in  par- 
ticular, embowered  with  tall  bamboos,  had  a  charm- 
ingly sequestered  air  as  we  rode  by.  We  put  up 
where  I  had  quartered  a  week  before.  Old  Joseph 
and  his  excellent  wife,  Mary,  were  on  hand.  I 
marked,  for  the  first  time,  that  his  head  begins  to 
shake  slightly  with  age.  He  was  not  able  to  tell 
me  his  exact  age,  but  said  that  he  was  a  smart  boy 
when  Lord  Lake  captured  the  city  of  Bhurtpore, 
and  remembered  the  event  well.  This  was  in  1805; 
so  that,  taking  him  to  be  a  lad  of  eight  or  ten  years 
old  at  that  time,  he  is  now  past  seventy.  Mary  is 
not  thirty  yet,  and,  looking  plump  and  fresh,  is  in 
striking  contrast  with  the  gray  old  veteran  whom 
she  calls  lord.  They  seem  to  live  happily  together, 
and  Mary  manages  their  domestic  affairs  generally. 
Joseph  seems  to  have  acquired  complete  confidence 
in  her  ability  to  do  so,   and   cheerfully  concedes  to 


220  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

her  the  direction  of  his  household,  and  she  conducts 
all  in  a  model  manner.  Old  Joseph  confines  his 
authority  to  blurts  of  angry  vociferation  at  wayward 
members  of  the  numerous  family,  from  time  to 
time.  I  used  to  fancy  him  in  a  passion,  and  spoke 
to  him  once  on  the  subject  of  calmness  in  family 
government;  but  found,  just  as  Mary  remarked^  it 
was  more  a  noisy  habit  and  style  of  administering 
reproof  and  enforcing  obedience  than  actual  anger. 
I  observed,  too,  that  the  little  sable  brood  of 
Angelos  were  not  at  all  frightened  at  him.  On  the 
contrary,  I  find  that  Mary  alone  is  the  one  that 
carries  real  parental  authority  in  this  family. 

I  had  to  correct  Johnny  their  oldest  boy,  a  lad 
of  about  twelve  years,  when  here  a  week  ago. 
''See  here,  why  did  you  do  so  and  so?"  he  would 
ask,  in  a  tone  and  look  that  seemed  to  assume 
the  responsibility  of  his  father  to  himself  for  his 
conduct.  This  is  not  the  usual  attitude  of  children 
to  their  fathers  in  this  country,  but  the  contrary. 

Well-ordered  Christian  families,  with  true  affec- 
tion and  fellowship  between  the  parents,  and  true 
filial  regard  in  the  children,  with  gentleness  and 
kindness  among  themselves,  have  a  grand  mission 
in  this  land. 

The  wife  occupies  a  very  servile  relation  to  her 
husband,  and  there  is  generally  but  little  affection 
between  them.  Older  children  assume,  and  are  by 
custom  allowed,  an  unpleasant  authority  and  preced- 
ence over  younger  ones.  As  a  rule,  there  is  no 
free,  happy  home  circle,  as  known  among  enlight- 
ened Christian  people.     It  is  reserved  for  Christianity 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  221 

to  infuse  true  harmony  and  freedom  into  the  family 
relation. 

December  4. — Our  tents  were  sent  forward,  very 
early,  eight  miles,  to  Sulempore,  beyond  the  river, 
where  we  were  to  encamp  for  a  few  days.  Mrs. 
Scott  visited  Mary's  girls'  school,  and  was  pleased 
with  it,  as  I  had  been.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  we 
left  Khera  Bajhera,  on  horseback,  for  camp,  while 
the  coolies  trotted  along,  Avith  Elma  and  Alice  in 
the  dooly.  It  was  nearly  dark,  when  we  espied  our 
canvas  abodes  among  the  great  trunks  of  a  magnifi- 
cent mango  grove.  I  was  much  vexed  to  find  that 
no  grass  had  been  secured  for  the  horses.  The  na- 
tive helpers  had  reached  camp  in  good  time;  but 
the  village  zemindar,  an  ill-tempered,  unmannerly 
fellow,  refused  to  take  any  interest  in  supplying  fuel 
and  provender.  I  thought  of  Nabal,  the  churl  of 
David's  day.  Generally,  the  zemindars,  or  native 
landlords,  have  a  pride  in  caring  for  any  one  who 
may  encamp  near  their  village,  and  give  any  thing 
needed,  "as  a  king  gives  unto  the  king."  I  called 
the  village  watchman,  and  sent  him  to  search  for  a 
bundle  of  grass  somewhere  in  the  village,  as  I  must 
have  it.      He  soon  returned  with  the  grass. 

It  is  true,  as  Alexander  remarked,  when  we 
reached  this  place,  some  of  these  zemindars,  when 
any  kind  of  government  official  comes  near  them, 
are  as  servile  and  cringing  in  their  bearing  as  slaves; 
but,  if  a  missionary  encamps  near  their  village,  they 
show  their  craven  and  insincere  spirit  by  utter  indif- 
ference to  the  wants  of  his  camp.  *'It  is  only  the 
padii  sahib  (clergyman),   and  he  has  no  authority," 


222  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

say  they.  We  were,  at  last,  all  comfortably  cared 
for,  for  the  night. 

December  5. — Was  up  early;  and,  as  the  sun, 
like  an  immense  crimson  globe,  gleamed  across  the 
plain  and  through  the  trees,  started,  with  Fazal  Ul- 
lah  (grace  of  God),  to  a  village  two  miles  off.  Fazal 
Ullah  is  an  old  Mohammedan  inquirer,  who  is  now 
ready  to  renounce  the  religion  of  Islam  and  take 
baptism.  The  rite  will  be  performed  when  we  reach 
Budaon.  We  desire  to  have  it  done  in  a  public  con- 
gregation, before  his  old  friends. 

When  we  entered  the  village,  it  seemed  ''de- 
serted;" but,  as  we  passed  round,  we  met  a  man, 
who  told  us  the  villagers  were  all  in  the  fields,  draw- 
ing water  to  save  the  perishing  crops.  From  where 
we  stood,  we  could  see  them,  in  groups  of  six  or 
eight,  about  the  wells,  of  which  there  were  four  or 
five  in  a  place.  Clatter,  clatter,  creak,  creak,  clat- 
ter, clatter,  creak,  creak,  went  the  rude  pulleys, 
over  which  a  rope  and  eart*lien  vessels  were  worked 
in  drawing  the  water.  I  proposed  constituting  some 
of  these  groups  of  men  our  morning  congregation; 
but  Fazal  Ullah  thought  they  would  not  hear  well 
in  such  a  noise,  and  suggested  that  we  go  on  to  an- 
other village.  These  villagers  are  struggling  to  stave 
off  famine  and  starvation  from  their  doors. 

A  walk  of  about  a  mile  brought  us  to  another 
and  larger  village,  relieved,  on  one  side,  by  some 
clumps  of  tall,  beautiful  bamboos.  As  we  passed 
through  the  winding  alleys,  among  the  houses,  in 
search  of  the  most  public  place  in  the  village, 
we   saw  a   man   stretched    on   a   cot,    prostrated   and 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  223 

tortured  with  cholera.     One  gets  used  to  such  inci- 
dents here. 

In  an  open  place,  beneath  the  feathery  branches 
of  a  large  neem-tree,  we  found  a  small  group  of 
natives,  crouched  around  a  little  fire,  low  and  smol- 
dering, as  usual.  The  fire  smoked,  and  the  natives 
smoked.  We,  too,  drew  near,  and  they  opened  the 
circle  on  one  side;  but  I  told  them  to  close  in  again, 
as  I  did  not  feel  the  cold.  Another  and  another  vil- 
lager joined  us,  as  they  passed  by,  some  carrying 
plows,  some  with  ropes  and  pulleys  for  the  wells. 
By  and  by,  we  had  a  good  crowd ;  and,  when  I 
ended  an  amazing  description  of  Winter  in  America, 
with  its  snow  and  cold,  all  were  requested  to  listen 
with  as  much  attention  to  the  message  of  salvation, 
to  deliver  which  was  our  particular  business  with 
them.  We  talked  to  them  of  sin,  of  righteousness, 
and  of  judgment  to  come,  when  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
we  preach  unto  them,  will  come  to  reject  and  punish 
those  who  now  reject  him.  Most  of  the  hearers  were 
poor  cultivators;  but  they  seemed  to  hear  gladly. 

Thus  it  is,  the  world  over;  and  thus  it  has  been, 
in  all  time.  Pride  of  rank  or  wealth  or  learning  in- 
terposes a  barrier  to  the  ready  reception  of  the  Gos- 
pel, propagated  by  the  "foolishness  of  preaching;" 
but,  although  the  ''rulers  and  Pharisees"  are  slow 
in  believing,  the  common  people  ''hear-  gladly." 
He  whose  "foolishness  is  wiser  than  men,"  when 
he  appeared  in  our  world,  robed  in  human  flesh, 
as  the  Divine  Teacher  of  our  race,  knew  what 
hearts  are  most  accessible,  when  he  selected  his 
little    school    from   the   more   simple-hearted   Jewish 


224  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

peasantry.  Every  age  and  clime  demonstrates  the 
wisdom  of  that  course.  *'The  humble  poor  believe," 
and  eventually  "confound  the  wise."  To  the  poor, 
then,  we  will  preach  gladly.  We  returned  across  the 
parched  fields,  and  through  the  languishing  crops. 

In  the  evening,  went  with  Fazal  Ullah  to  Katra, 
a  village  just  visible  from  camp,  through  the  haze 
and  trees,  toward  the  declining  sun.  A  walk  of 
something  more  than  two  miles,  across  blighted 
fields,  where  irrigation  did  not  seem  to  be  availa- 
ble, brought  us  to  a  squalid-looking  village,  where 
we  found  some  hearers,  most  of  whom  looked 
squalid  enough,  too.  They  were  not  indisposed  to 
hear,  but  opposed  the  dreary,  inflexible,  awful  doc- 
trine of  fate  to  what  we  had  to  say.  All  that  had 
happened,  that  was  happening,  and  that  would  hap- 
pen, comes  from  an  impenetrable,  unchangeable, 
eternal,  inexorable  fate.  The  popular  idea  among 
Hindus  is,  that,  inside  the  skull-bone  of  the  fore- 
head, all  the  acts  and  allotments  of  a  man's  life  are 
unalterably  traced  by  the  pen  of  fate.  I  have  some- 
times been  amused  to  hear  Hindus  supplement  this 
affirmation  with  a  half-doubting,  "I  have  never  seen 
it  so."  In  a  country  where  the  dead  are  often  sim- 
ply thrown  into  the  rivers,  and  the  skeletons  fre- 
quently cast  on  the  fields  by  freshets,  abundant 
opportunity  is  afforded  for  observation;  hence,  the 
skepticism. 

This  doctrine  of  fate  seems  to  be  universal  to  the 
old  religions  of  the  East.  It  furnishes  a  sad  exam- 
ple of  the  wide-spread,  blighting  influence  a  vicious 
idea  or  doctrine  can  work,  when  generally  received. 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  22$ 

From    the    Red    Sea   and    Mediterranean,    all    round 
through  the  swarming  milHons  of  Asia,  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  the  idea  of  fate   has   repressed   and  bhghted 
and  vitiated  human  hfe,  as  the  breath  of  a  vast  and 
deadly    pestilence.      Every   bud    and   opening  flower 
of  virtue  seems  blasted  by  it;   every  growth  of  vice 
and    crime    seems    fostered  in  it.      It  crushes  human 
progress  in  good,  but  forms  a  favorable  atmosphere 
for   the   development   of  wickedness.     Thieves,  rob- 
bers, murderers,   and   monsters  of   debauchees   com- 
placently offer,  as  an  apology  for  their  stealing,  rob- 
bing,  murdering,  and  debauchery,   "Kismat"  (fate). 
The  only  answer  that  I  could  get  from  a  rogue  of  a 
milkman  one  day,  when  he  brought  some  filthy  watered 
milk  for  money  advanced  him,  was,  ''Kismat;"  but 
he   did    not   do    so    again,    when    he    was    told    that 
kismat  would  reveal  some  sharp  punishment  for  him 
if  the  milk  came  so  another  time.     Poor  wretches  plod 
on  in  a  most  miserable  kind   of   livelihood,   taking, 
from   time   to  time,  a  dismal  sort  of  comfort  in  the 
reflection  that  it  is  their  fate.     The  cultivator  looks 
over  his  blasted  crops,  and  settles  himself  down  to  a 
season  of  stint  and  partial  inactivity,  placing  all  his 
misfortunes  to  the  credit  of  fate.      Fate  is  the  cause 
of    all    adversity  — of     all     prosperity.        Miserable 
wretches,    firm    in    the    fatalistic   faith,   who  all  their 
life-time  have  deemed  their  ups  and  downs  the  allot- 
ment of  ''unalterable  decree,"  not   unfrequently  go 
and     hang    themselves     to    escape     fate,     illogically 
enough,    to   be   sure.      Great   lazy    louts   of  beggars 
wander  about  the  country,  asking  for  alms;  and,  to 
a  suggestion  to  go  to  work  for  a  living,  they  reply, 


226  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

with  an  air  of  calm  resignation  Avorthy  of  a  better 
cause,  "Kismat."  Again  and  again,  hearers  reply 
to  us,  in  a  passive,  unconcerned  tone,  '*If  it  is  in 
our  fate,  we  will  adopt  your  religion."  It  is  well 
that  the  native  instincts  and  impulses  of  human 
nature  often,  and  in  many  things,  rise  superior  to  a 
debasing  idea,  otherwise  the  evil  wrought  would  be 
much  greater  than  it  is. 

Our  hearers  antagonized  all  we  said  so  stoutly, 
with  the  doctrine  of  fate,  that  our  words  seemed 
wholly  lost  on  them.  I  tried  with  little  apparent 
effect,  to  illustrate  their  practical  unbelief  in  the 
doctrine.  A  smiling,  good-natured  fakeer,  with  his 
alms  wallet  slung  over  his  shoulder,  dirty  and  jolly, 
came  by.  He  was,  very  evidently,  neither  oppressed 
with  the  cares  of  this  life,  nor  concerned  for  what 
fate  might  have  written  inside  of  his  frontal  bone. 
He  halted  at  a  door  near  by,  and,  with  an  easy, 
merry  tone  of  authority,  called  for  something  to  be 
brought  him.  A  handful  of  coarse  flour  was  dropped 
into  his  dirty  wallet,  and  he  then  came  near  us,  as  I 
beckoned  to  him.  I  began  to  tell  him  about  Jesus ; 
but  he  seemed  to  think  the  story  would  be  a  long 
one,  so,  with  a  serious  gesticulation  of  head  and 
hand  at  the  gathering  darkness,  said  he  must  be  off, 
as  his  home  was  several  miles  distant;  and  away  he 
went,  with  a  cheery  salam,  while  we  too,  hopeless 
of  any  good  there,  started  across  the  fields  to  an- 
other village  near  by,  hoping  for  better  ground  for 
the  Gospel  seed. 

Darkness  was  settling  over  the  brown  huts  of  the 
village  as  we  passed  in,  and  little  lazy  fires,  kindled 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  22/ 

for  the  evening  groups,  were  beginning  to  send  up 
sluggish  wreaths  of  smoke.  We  selected  the  one 
that  was  most  likely,  to  all  appearance,  to  afford  us 
a  congregation,  and  sat  down  on  a  cot  that  was 
vacated  for  us.  As  the  villagers  came  by  from  the 
fields,  with  their  rude  agricultural  implements,  or 
carrying  bundles  of  fodder  or  grass  on  their  heads, 
one  after  another  stopped  at  our  fire,  until  we  had  a 
quiet  group  of  hearers.  They  listened  in  such  a 
passive,  assenting  manner,  that  I  fear  they  did  not 
comprehend  how  the  spirit  of  our  message  antag- 
onized and  condemned  the  life  they  lead. 

There  had  been  signs  of  rain,  and  the  still  rare- 
fied atmosphere  became  so  charged  with  the  mingled 
smoke  of  the  fires  and  the  native  pipes,  and  dust 
kicked  up  by  the  cattle  that  trudged  home  from 
their  grazing,  that  I  was  glad  when  we  left  the  place. 
As  we  passed  out,  stacks  of  fodder  loomed  up  in  the 
darkness,  to  the  left.  These,  we  were  told,  had  been 
collected  for  the  lieutenant-governor  of  the  North- 
west provinces,  whose  camp  is  approaching,  with  a 
train  of  forty  elephants,  besides  many  horses  and 
camels,  the  natives  say.  He  is  making  a  tour  of 
inspection  through  the  country.  Sir  William  Muir 
is  a  genuine  friend  of  missionaries. 

We  struck  across  the  fields  by  the  light  of  our 
own  camp-fires,  and  were  soon  in  tent  for  the  night. 
God's  word  has  gone  forth,  and,  although  not  always 
with  present  encouragement  to  us,  his  promise  is  that 
it  shall  not  return  void. 

Dcainbcr  6. — I  usually  take  the  native  helpers 
along  with  me  by  turns,  as  we  do  not  all  go  together. 


228  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

They  fare  much  better  supported  by  a  European. 
Sometimes,  when  alone,  they  get  terribly  brow- 
beaten and  contradicted.  Poor  fellows!  often  they 
get  very  much  tried  and  provoked  by  their  unbe- 
lieving countrymen.  In  some  places  they  fail  to  get 
an  audience  at  all. 

In  the  morning,  went  across  the  fields,  with 
Abraham,  to  Rohura,  a  large  village  about  two 
miles  from  camp.  As  we  entered  the  place  we  met 
the  zemindar,  walking  about  with  a  fine  English 
double-barreled  gun  in  his  hand.  Salam  was  inter- 
changed, and  the  gun,  paraded  with  no  little  pride, 
was  examined,  and  pronounced  a  superb  acquisition 
to  the  man  and  his  village.  We  then  asked  the  way 
to  the  chaupal;  at  which  the  zemindar,  laying  his 
gun  across  his  arm  with  a  look  of  pride,  led  the  way 
thither,  remarking,  meantime,  that  he  had  other 
guns  to  show  us  there.  The  village  zemindars  pride 
themselves  very  much  on  a  display  of  guns,  which 
they  are  allowed,  since  the  mutiny,  to  keep  only  by 
written  license.  A  man  feels  himself  important 
somewhat  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  guns  he 
can  keep.  English  guns  are  much  prized  over  the 
long,  shabby-looking,  bunglesome  native  matchlocks. 

When  we  reached  the  chaupal  a  crowd  was  follow- 
ing us,  prompted  by  the  usual  idle  curiosity  to  see 
and  hear.  The  zemindar  pulled  up  a  large  English 
arm-chair,  and  invited  me  to  sit  in  it  while  he 
brought  out  the  rest  of  his  guns.  He  came  bring- 
ing two  more  double-barreled  pieces,  eying  them 
askant  with  evident  satisfaction.  I  praised  them 
also,   congratulating   the    man   on   the  good    fortune 


THE  RETURN  HOME. 


229 


that  had  attended  him  in  this  hne.  In  his  chaupal 
I  observed,  besides  the  chair  in  which  I  had  been 
seated  with  some  show  of  etiquette,  several  common 
Enghsh  dining-chairs.  These,  I  was  informed,  had 
been  brought  from  Bareilly,  some  thirty  miles  away. 
In  many  things,  one  can  see  a  tendency  in  the 
natives  to  "ape  the  English."  They  like  to  pick  up 
some  articles  of  English  furniture,  as  chairs,  couches, 
tables,  buggies,  etc.,  and  a  good  gun,  which  is  a 
prize  worth  aspiring  for.  They  like  to  get  English 
shoes,  and  cut  some  articles  of  dress  with  an  ap- 
proach to  English  styles.  Far-fetched  as  it  may 
seem,  all  this  has  something  of  hope  in  it  for  mis- 
sionaries. Among  the  people  of  Eastern  countries, 
inflexibility  in  habit,  custom,  thought,  and  religion, 
is  a  great  barrier  to  progress.  An  appeal  to  ances- 
tors is  too  often  law.  Hence,  any  tendency  to  yield 
and  change,  even  in  unimportant  matters,  prognosti- 
cates well  for  the  religious  future.  A  little  leaven 
of  change  may  leaven  the  whole  lump.  When  the 
potato  was  first  introduced  into  India,  the  natives 
shunned  it  as  something  worse  than  poison.  They 
reported  that  it  was  originally,  in  some  way,  elim- 
inated from  hog's  blood.  Time  and  familiarity  have 
taught  them  that  it  is  a  most  wholesome  article  of 
food,  and  now  it  is  largely  cultivated  and  used. 

After  the  gun  business  was  over,  and  a  few  gen- 
eral questions  had  been  asked  and  answered,  I  in- 
vited attention  to  the  object  of  our  visit  to  the 
village.  I  told  them  that  I  had  come  thousands  of 
miles  to  teach  them  the  way  of  salvation  from  sin, 
I    urged    the    worthlessness   of   their    religion    as    a 


230  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

means  of  salvation.  Meanwhile,  a  Mussulman  chap- 
rasi,  or  runner,  a  kind  of  government  servant,  came 
along,  and  sat  down  among  the  hearers.  He  had  a 
disagreeable  face,  and  soon  proved  himself  a  most 
impertinent  fellow,  by  interjecting  sundry  irrelevant 
and  insolent  questions  in  the  midst  of  my  talk. 
Some  of  these  were  stupid  enough,  and  have  been 
answered  and  refuted  so  often  by  missionaries  that 
patience  in  replying  to  them  has  ceased  to  be  a 
virtue.  He  kept  on,  in  a  rattling,  dogmatic,  defiant 
tone,  loudly  asserting  that  we  Christians  are  utterly 
off  the  track;  that  Christianity  is  not  what  it  once 
was;  that  the  New  Testament  has  been  abrogated, 
and  that  the  copy  we  possess  is  a  miserable  corrup- 
tion, to  serve  our  purposes  of  religious  fraud — glanc- 
ing round  anon  on  the  little  crowd,  who  were  nearly 
all  Hindus,  to  catch  perchance  some  look  of  ap- 
proval of  his  demolition  of  modern  Christianity,  and 
I  merely  caught  him  at  an  interval  where  he  was 
taking  breath,  and  asked  where  and  in  what  Chris- 
tians had  departed  from  the  faith. 

''What  about  the  eleven  and  a  half  topees,  or 
crowns?"  said  he.  ''In  the  time  of  Jesus  there 
were  twelve  topees;  but  a  half  has  been  lost." 

I  had  heard  this  vague  objection  mentioned  be- 
fore ;  but  have  never  been  able  to  make  out  to 
what  it  is  an  allusion.  It  seems  to  be  a  stupid  con- 
founding, in  some  way,  of  the  ten  lost  tribes  of 
Israel  with  something  Christian,  and  is  meant  as  an 
argument  that  Christianity  has  not  remained  com- 
plete, but  has  met  with  loss  and  confusion,  and  as  a 
system   is   in   ruins,   which  we  are  making  mad  and 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  23 1 

vain  efforts  to  keep  up.  Able  to  get  nothing  out  of 
this  senseless  allusion,  I  asked  the  fellow  whose  salt 
he  was  eating,  and  whose  religion  he  was  berating 
in  such  an  unreasonable  spirit.  He  understood  this 
hint  at  the  insolent  position  he  was  putting  himself 
in,  as  a  servant  of  government,  and  hushed,  on 
which  I  proceeded  to  finish  my  talk.  Abraham  also 
had  a  quiet  hearing.  After  exhorting  all  to  consider 
these  things  well,  we  walked  home. 

In  the  evening,  rode  on  horseback,  in  company 
with  Alexander,  to  Datagunge,  a  large  village,  the 
capital  of  a  division  of  the  district.  There  is  a  dis- 
pensary here,  comfortable  and  commodious,  for  the 
accommodation  of  sufferers  who  may  resort  to  it. 
All  over  the  country  the  government  is  establishing 
dispensaries,  and  natives  are  beginning,  though 
somewhat  slowly,  to  appreciate  the  European  prac- 
tice of  medicine.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the 
strictest  castes  of  the  Hindus  will  now  take  foreign 
medicines  gladly.  Formerly,  the  thought  of  this 
would  not  have  been  entertained  for  one  moment ; 
now,  when  they  come  for  medicine,  they  are  only 
too  glad  to  get  it  from  the  English  "Doctor  Sahib," 
as  they  call  him.  In  our  surgery  the  natives  find 
the  most  palpable  evidence  of  European  superiority 
in  medical  knowledge.  Benefited  as  they  may  be 
by  the  occult  working  of  the  drugs  and  nostrums 
of  pharmacy,  it  does  not  impress  them  so  much  as 
to  see  a  broken,  mangled  limb  trimmed  up,  straight- 
ened out,  and  reunited,  ready  for  use  in  a  few 
weeks,  or  to  see  an  immense  tumor  or  deformity 
lopped  off.     The  scalpel   and   splints   seem  to  them 


232  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

like  magic  wands.  Missionaries  are  beginning  to  see 
the  happy  availabihty  of  medical  science  for  purposes 
of  mercy  and  evangelism. 

Returning  to  the  bazaar,  we  took  our  stand  by 
a  wall,  a  little  apart  from  the  busy  throng  and  their 
wares  and  grain,  that  we  might  get  a  more  quiet 
hearing.  Many  were  Mohammedans ;  but  they  were 
respectful.  An  old  gray-headed  moulvy,  or  Mussul- 
man D.  D. ,  with  a  long,  white,  patriarchal  beard, 
attempted  to  urge  the  corruption  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures, as  proved  by  the  various  readings  of  the  MSS. 
He  was  silenced  in  a  moment  by  referring  him  to  the 
marginal  readings  of  the  Koran,  intimating  that  his 
argument,  proving  too  much,  would  damage  it  too. 
Alexander  then  spoke  at  some  length,  and  with 
point;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  talk  a  native  police- 
man came  rushing  into  the  crowd,  shouting  and 
flourishing  his  mace  about  him,  to  the  imminent 
danger  of  the  heads  and  limbs  of  the  hearers.  I 
stepped  toward  him,  and,  in  a  tone  of  surprise,  de- 
manded an  explanation  of  such  strange  conduct. 
With  some  difficulty  I  got  his  attention,  as  he  went 
on  laying  about  him,  evidently  trying  to  disperse 
the  crowd.  He  came  up,  and  said  that  he  had  an 
order  to  close  the  bazaar  at  six  o'clock.  **But,  my 
good  fellow,"  I  said,  ''this  is  not  the  bazaar;"  and 
I  went  on  to  explain  to  him  that  the  people  who 
were  buying  and  selling,  and  their  shops,  were  the 
objects  of  his  order,  and  not  a  peaceable  crowed,  like 
the  one  he  had  so  injudiciously  interrupted.  He 
looked  confused  and  defeated  when  I  referred  him 
to  an  act  in  the  "Indian  Penal  Code,"  by  which  he 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  233 

could  be  punished  for  such  a  riotous  and  aggravating 
infringement  of  the  peace.  His  simple  object  was, 
under  pretense  of  pubhc  duty,  to  break  up  our  audi- 
ence. Most  likely  others  had  put  him  up  to  this 
refractory  movement;  but,  when  I  suggested  the 
idea,  all  loudly  disclaimed  any  part  in  the  matter. 
Skulking,  cowardly  wretches  often  plot  disturbance, 
when  we  are  preaching  in  the  bazaars.  I  took  the 
policeman's  name,  from  a  bystander,  as  a  whole- 
some hint. 

Natives  have  a  most  salutary  fear  of  being  called 
to  account  for  their  conduct  before  English  magis- 
trates. The  Roman  power,  in  the  days  of  Paul,  was 
not  more  a  subject  of  wholesome  fear  than  English 
power  in  India.  A  timely  hint  is  as  useful  here  as 
it  was  to  Claudius  Lysius,  the  "chief  captain"  at 
Jerusalem,  or  to  the  Philippian  magistrates,  or  to 
Demetrius  and  the  uproarious  craftsmen  of  Ephesus. 

It  was  late,  and  the  noise  of  the  bazaar  began  to 
die  away,  as  the  villagers,  having  done  their  deal- 
ing, were  dispersing  to  their  houses.  We,  too,  rode 
away  to  camp,  reflecting  on  the  discouraging  antago- 
nism that  the  Gospel  meets  in  this  land.  It  was 
dark  when  we  reached  the  tents;  and  I  had  been  in 
but  a  few  moments,  when  the  offending  policeman 
appeared  at  the  tent-door,  affecting  to  look  quite 
penitent  and  heart-broken  for  having  committed  so 
flagrant  an  act  of  impropriety.  He  was  out  of 
breath,  too,  having  followed  us  rapidly  across  the 
fields  on  foot,  in  hope  of  arresting  at  once  any  refer- 
ence of  his  name  and  conduct  to  the  magistrate. 
With  hands   joined  and   uplifted   most   imploringly, 


234  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

he  asked  for  pardon.  I  could  hardly  suppress  a 
hearty  laugh  and  command  sufficient  seriousness  to 
caution  the  man,  for  his  own  sake,  not  to  throw 
himself  in  the  way  of  punishment  again  soon, 
deprecating  any  necessity  for  ever  renewing  his  ac- 
quaintance in  such  a  connection.  He  bowed  a  most 
grateful  assent,  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

After  a  refreshing  cup  of  tea,  we  all  repaired, 
for  an  evening  interview,  to  the  chaupal  of  the  vil- 
lage near  which  we  are  encamped.  The  gong  was 
tapped  a  few  times,  by  way  of  announcement,  and 
the  villagers  came  straggling  in.  By  and  by,  the 
zemindar  presented  himself,  affecting  to  be  very 
happy  at  my  visit.      He  said, 

**Why  did  you  trouble  yourself  to  come  to  me? 
Why  did  you  not  call  me  to  your  tent?" 

I  knew  enough  of  native  etiquette  to  understand, 
that,  if  he  had  desired  to  be  civil  or  polite,  he  would 
have  called  at  my  tent  to  make  his  salam. 

**0, "  I  said,  ''I  don't  stand  on  ceremony;  but, 
when  people  do  n't  come  to  see  me,  I  go  to  see 
them." 

He  hemmed,  and  affected  to  be  quite  touched 
at  my  "humility,  being  such  a  great  personage." 
One  gets  used  to  the  hollowness  of  these  fawning 
epithets  in  India.  I  merely  replied  that  it  was  no 
act  of  self-abasement  on  my  part,  but  that  I  came 
from  a  cheerful  sense  of  duty  to  him  and  to  his  peo- 
ple, which  duty  I  soon  began  to  discharge  by  re- 
hearsing the  oft-repeated  Gospel  story,  and  urging 
its  careful  consideration  on  him  and  others  present, 
as  by  far  the  most  important  subject  that  had  been 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  235 

presented  to  them  in  all  their  Hves.  Alexander  and 
Abraham  each  made  appropriate  remarks.  All  we 
said  was  received  without  opposition,  and  in  a  dis- 
heartening spirit  of  coldness  and  indifference.  The 
zemindar  remarked,  with  a  satisfied  air  at  having 
shifted  the  responsibility: 

*'When  the  tahsildar  (a  native  revenue  officer  of 
some  importance),  and  other  men  of  weight,  become 
Christians,  then  I  will  too." 

''But,"  I  said,  "some  of  these  very  men  have 
referred  me,  in  this  way,  to  you." 

This  led  to  a  brief  digression  on  the  folly  of  thus 
attempting  to  shift  responsibility,  to  which  there  was 
an  indifferent  murmur  of  assent  from  some,  and  we 
withdrew  to  camp  for  the  night.  It  must  be  work 
away,  ''whether  they  hear  or  whether  they  forbear." 

December  y. — Crossed  the  cloddy,  drought-blighted 
fields,  with  Abraham,  to  the  village  I  had  visited, 
with  Fazal  Ullah,  before.  The  cholera  patient  had 
survived  his  attack,  and,  although  haggard  and 
racked,  was  hopefully  convalescent.  Near  the  shop 
of  an  active,  loquacious  little  btuiya  (shop-keeper),  a 
few  natives  were  smoking,  around  a  smart  fire  on 
the  ground,  the  inevitable  Imkka.  We  seized  on 
these  as  the  nucleus  of  a  morning  congregation,  and 
unceremoniously  joined  them  round  the  fire.  As 
they  deferentially  slipped  the  long,  ungainly  pipe  to 
one  side,  I  begged  them  not  to  be  disturbed  in  the 
least,  as  I  would  not  be,  in  my  visit,  by  this  emblem 
of  their  sociality.  Natives  will  not,  usually,  smoke 
in  the  presence  of  those  whom  they  regard  as  supe- 
riors.    Reassured,   but  with   a   little   hesitancy,   they 


236  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

bubbled  and  whiffed  away  at  their  hydraulic  pipes, 
while  a  few  general  questions  about  the  weather, 
crops,  the  sick  man,  etc.,  were  under  commonplace 
consideration. 

We  then,  in  turn,  laid  before  them  the  Gospel 
message,  concluding,  as  usual,  with  urging  its  ac- 
ceptance as  their  only  hope  of  safety.  The  logic  of 
this  conclusion  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  impress- 
ive or  decisive.  The  talkative  little  shop-keeper  had 
kept  admirably  quiet,  considering  his  propensity; 
but,  with  an  air  of  having  unburdened  himself,  and 
having -relieved  his  soul  of  responsibility,  he  here 
observed  that  when  the  rest  became  Christians  he 
would,  and  walked  away.  Several  took  the  same 
position.  I  tried  to  illustrate  the  folly  of  such  an 
attitude  by  the  supposed  case  of  a  boat  going  to 
pieces,  and  the  struggling  swimmers  crying  to  one 
another,  saying,  **I  will  make  for  the  rock  and  be 
saved,  if  others  do."  In  vain,  I  insisted  that  Christ 
is  the  only  means  of  safety,  and  that  it  can  be  but 
poor  satisfaction  to  turn  away  from  him,  refu.se  his 
proffered  salvation,  and  perish,  simply  because  oth- 
ers do  not  accept  him. 

I  am  frequently  somewhat  at  a  loss  to  know  just 
the  bearing  with  which  the  acceptance  of  Christian- 
ity presents  itself  to  the  natives,  in  some  instances. 
They  patiently  hear  the  presentation  of  its  uncom- 
promising claims,  in  appearance  accept  all  as  a  true 
representation,  and  yet  do  not  seem  to  appreciate 
the  imbecile  and  evasive  subterfuge  to  which  they 
resort  for  putting  off  those  claims.  They  seem  to 
be  insensible  to  the  force  of  what  it  must  be  for  life 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  237 

to  be  a  religious  failure.  With  difficulty,  they  cast 
off  the  delusion  that  the  mistake,  after  all,  may  not 
be  so  bad,  but  better,  perhaps,  than  the  inconven- 
ience of  being  a  Christian,  apart  from  relatives  and 
old  friends.  Sometimes  it  would  seem  that  the 
question  in  their  minds  is  simply  between  a  good 
thing  and  a  better  thing.  The  Christian  religion  is 
excellent,  they  admit — indeed,  a  most  wonderful  re- 
ligion ;  but  then  their  own  old  religion,  with  which 
they  are  already  familiar,  has  become  handy  from 
use,  and  they  will  make  out  to  get  on  with  it, 
although  it  be  in  reality  much  inferior  to  the  ad- 
mirable religion  we  have  troubled  ourselves  so 
much  to  bring  to  their  notice.  Good-natured  old 
fellows  have  often  remarked  to  me,  with  great 
naiveti : 

*'Ah,  what  a  religion!  delightful!  O,  well," 
with  resignation,  "mine  will  do  me.  It  is  hardly 
worth  while  to  change  now." 

Of  course,  at  such  a  time,  one  must  try  to  draw 
for  these  resigned  and  self- depreciating  souls  a 
trenchant  line,  that  may  separate  for  them  what  is 
absolutely  worthless  and  vicious  from  what  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  them  as  a  religion.  They  must 
be  made  to  feel  that  the  rehgion  of  Him  ''whom 
we  preach"  unto  them  can  make  no  compromise 
with  any  rival.  This  is  often  no  easy  task;  and, 
when  performed,  sends  away  sorrowing  some  who 
seemed  friendly,  and  well  disposed  toward  the 
Gospel. 

In  the  evening,  rode  with  Alexander  to  a  village 
called  Koela.     A  half-hundred  hearers  assembled  at 


238  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  chaupal,  and  listened  with  remarkable  attention. 
I  first  asked  them: 

"How  many  of  you  are  on  the  way  to  heaven?" 
.    ** Do  n't  know  how  many." 

**But  you  should  know." 

*'No  one  knows,"  positively. 

**You  can  know." 

*'How?"  with  interest. 

I  then  explained  to  them  that  there  are  two 
roads  running  through  this  life — one  the  way  to 
heaven,  the  other  the  way  to  hell.  I  explained  to 
them  that  the  way  to  hell  is  broad,  lying  through 
all  forms  of  sin,  and  that  the  way  to  heaven  is 
through  Christ  and  purity.  They  were  then  urged 
to  take  their  own  bearing,  and  determine  which  road 
they  were  on.  All  remained  silent;  but  it  was 
manifest  that  they  had  gained  some  new  ideas  on  an 
important  point. 

Natives  often  urge  that  they  can  not  know  whether 
they  are  on  the  way  to  heaven  or  not,  as  if  the 
whole  matter  depends,  not  on  moral  character,  but 
simply  on  the  unrevealed  caprice  of  the  Supreme 
Being.  When  impressed  with  the  truth  that  the 
way  to  hell  is  through  wickedness,  and  that  the  way 
to  heaven  is  a  "highway  of  holiness,"  they  see 
clearly  the  importance  of  avoiding  sin  and  seeking 
purity. 

We  returned  to  camp,  leaving  an  apparent  good 
impression  behind  us. 

December  8. — We  went  to  the  chaupal  of  our 
camp  village  about  an  hour  after  sunrise.  We  found 
the    zemindar   sitting   near   a   little  fire,  washing  his 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  239 

feet,  and  evidently  not  in  a  good  humor.  He  did 
not  seem  disposed  to  take  any  notice  of  us;  so  one 
of  the  helpers  rang  the  gong,  as  an  announcement 
to  the  villagers  of  our  presence.  On  hearing  the 
gong,  the  zemindar's  elephant,  which  was  standing 
at  its  stable  near  by,  moved  off  rapidly  to  some 
distance,  and  carefully  eluded  its  keeper,  who  tried 
to  get  it  in  hand  again.  They  said  that  the  elephant 
thought  the  sound  of  the  gong  to  be  the  ringing  of 
its  howdaJi  (elephant  saddle)  bells;  and  that,  fearing 
it  would  be  taken  out  for  a  march,  it  was  trying  to 
avoid  the  labor.  For  some  time  it  managed  to  shun 
the  keeper,  plunging  at  one  time  into  a  deep  pond, 
where  he  could  not  follow.  This  little  episode  over, 
Ave  tried  to  get  the  attention  of  the  zemindar  to  our 
message;  but  he  acted  in  an  insolent  manner. 
To  an  invitation  to  come  and  sit  down  for  a  while, 
and  hear  what  we  .  had  to  say,  he  replied,  with  a 
haughty  air,  that  he  had  something  more  important 
to  do.  Knowing  where  his  vanity  and  chief  fault 
lay,  I  remarked  to  him  that  wealth  is  a  poor  thing 
on  which  to  lean,  and  that  it  can  do  nothing  to  save 
the  soul.  He  replied  that  those  who  wished  to  hear 
my  message  would  go  to  me,  and  that  I  need  not  be 
intruding  myself  unasked  on  them.  I  answered  that 
those  w4io  are  least  inclined  to  hear  our  message  need 
it  most,  and  that  we  feel  it  to  be  our  duty  to  hunt  such 
out  and  go  to  them.  He  sullenly  refused  to  reply  after 
this,  and  I  went  on  to  warn  him  not  to  ''trust  in 
uncertain  riches,"  nor  let  his  heart  be  hardened  and 
completely  turned  away  from  God  with  pride. 

Finding  but  little  encouragement  here,  we  turned 


240  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

away  to  another  part   of  the  village,   in  quest  of  a 
better  audience. 

"How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God!"  This  may  have  been 
literally  true  of  the  Jews  in  the  time  of  the  Savior's 
sojourn  on  earth.  Certainly  it  was,  if  they  w^ere  in 
spirit  and  practice  something  like  the  natives  of  this 
country.  The  light  and  power  of  the  Gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God  has  so  changed  the  character  of  society, 
in  Christian  countries,  that  commentators  are  not 
prepared  to  receive  the  plain,  literal  meaning  of 
some  "hard  sayings"  in  Scripture;  and  hence  come 
forward  with  modified  and  far-fetched  meanings.  An 
acquaintance  with  non-Christian  society  often  justi- 
fies fully  the  Scriptural  or  inspired  language,  in  its 
more  literal  sense.  Dr.  Duff  once  remarked  that  he 
never  could  fully  justify  the  apparent  spirit  of  the 
imprecative  Psalms  until  he  passed  through  the 
terrible  Indian  mutiny  of  1857.  So  inhuman,  so 
utterly  fiendish,  was  the  conduct  of  some  rebel 
leaders,  that  it  seemed  like  a  Divine  instinct  to  pray 
God  to  crush  and  blast  them,  and  save  the  innocent. 
Some  of  David's  enemies  were  just  as  brutal  and 
worthy  of  an  unmitigated  anathema.  Rich  men  in 
India  are  almost  universally  rendered,  by  their 
wealth,  all  the  more  godless  and  difficult  to  reach 
with  the  Gospel.  They  are  proud,  haughty,  selfish, 
oppressive,  self-sufficient,  and  wicked,  far  above 
other  men.  One  can  see  that  they  are  farther  from 
the  kingdom  of  God  than  any  other  class  of  men. 
Others  may  enter  with  comparative  ease;  but,  pe- 
culiarly and  emphatically,  only  the  almighty  power 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  24I 

of  God,  with  which   ''all   things  are   possible,"  can 
save  these. 

We  passed  through  to  the  other  side  of  the 
village,  and  had  an  encouraging  talk  at  a  sugar-cane 
press,  where  numbers  of  persons  assembled.  ''The 
common  people  heard"  us  "gladly."  We  sat  and 
talked,  while  the  lazy  bullocks  slowly  turned  the 
rude  machine  that  pressed  out  the  cane-juice.  A 
Mohammedan  present  seemed  to  be  the  most  yield- 
ing and  liberal  man  of  his  creed  that  I  have  ever 
met.  He  was  apparently  desirous  of  keeping  on 
good  terms  with  the  Hindus. 

In  the  evening,  I  went  with  Abraham  to  a  vil- 
lage called  Kattra.  We  sounded  the  gong,  and  sat 
down  at  the  chaupal  for  some  time  before  any  one 
came.  The  men  seemed  to  be  at  work  still  in  the 
fields.  At  last  a  few  children  came  up  shyly,  to 
whom  we  spoke  kindly,  and  they  soon  became  at 
ease,  and  talked  familiarly  with  us.  Meanwhile,  a 
few  men  gathered  about  us,  among  whom  was  a 
little,  obese,  gray-headed,  old  fellow,  with  the  teeth 
on  the  left  side  of  his  mouth  worn  quite  short  from 
the  frequent  use  of  the  pipe-stem.  Once  started,  he 
kept  up  a  constant  talking  till  we  left. 

"Who  is  Christ?"  he  asked,  propping  himself  in 
a  standing  posture  on  his  stout  bamboo  club. 

"Christ  is  the  true  Incarnation,  who  came  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners." 

"Well,  give  me  a  village,  and  I  will  turn  Chris- 
tian," with  emphasis. 

"But  this  is  avarice." 

"I  formerly  had  a  share  in  this  village,  but  lost 
21 


242  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

it.  I  will  do  any  thing  to  get  it  back  again,"  he 
rejoined. 

"But  you  must  seek  the  salvation  of  your 
soul." 

*'I  must  eat.  Let  me  have  the  village,  and  I 
am  ready  for  any  thing — heaven  or  hell,  just  as  it 
may  turn  out." 

"You  do  n't  seem  to  know  any  thing  about 
heaven  or  hell" — and  I  here  explained  to  him  some- 
thing of  what  is  revealed  about  both  in  the  Christian 
Scriptures. 

He  again  put  in: 

"Well,  write  me  down  the  village,  and  I  am  a 
Christian." 

"No;  if  you  would  become  a  Christian  thus  for 
one  pice  [less  than  a  cent],  I  would  have  nothing  to 
do  with  you." 

"Well,  then,  if  you  won't  give  me  a  village, 
give  me  a  hundred  rupees  ^50]  of  your  salary,  and 
I  will  become  a  Christian." 

"I  tell  you,  my  old  friend,  if  you  and  your 
whole  family  would  become  Christians  for  the 
offer  of  one  hundred  pice,  I  would  not  baptize 
you." 

Here  the  old  man  gave  up,  amid  a  hearty  laugh 
from  the  hearers. 

I  then  tried  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  all  that 
they  must  seek  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  their 
souls,  and  not  for  "loaves  and  fishes." 

The  children  had  kept  so  attentive  and  quiet 
that  I  scattered  a  handful  of  pice  among  them, 
which  they  snatched  up  with  great  glee. 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  243 

December  9. — Went  with  Abraham  to  Kurna,  a 
village  visited  a  few  days  ago.  We  went  to  the 
chaupal,  where  a  zemindar  had  displayed  his  guns 
with  so  much  pride.  The  gong  was  sounded  in 
vain.  No  one  came  at  its  call;  so,  having  waited 
for  a  time,  we  set  out  in  hunt  of  a  congregation 
somewhere  in  the  village.  We  wound  and  turned 
through  the  narrow,  dirty  streets  in  search  of  hear- 
ers, seeing  they  would  not  come  to  us. 

The  village,  in  each  country,  has  a  character 
peculiar  to  the  country.  An  Indian  village  has  its 
peculiarities.  Often  dirty  and  unsightly,  yet  some 
of  them  are  picturesque  with  trees  and  groves.  The 
streets  or  alleys  wind  and  turn  about  without  any 
reference  to  regularity.  The  houses  are  built  of 
mud,  and  thatched  with  long  grass.  They  are  built 
square  or  oblong,  one  low  story  high,  with  no  chim- 
ney or  window,  and  generally  but  one  door.  They 
are  little  huts,  rather  than  houses.  The  floor  is  sim- 
ply the  ground,  rendered  hard  by  pounding,  and 
plastering  it  with  clay,  often  mixed  with  cow-dung. 
Generally,  a  few  rude  cots  are  the  only  furniture* 
The  zemindars'  houses  are  better  than  others,  having 
several  rooms.  The  cows  and  goats  often  occupy 
quarters  near  by,  quite  as  good  as  their  owners,  or, 
like  Pat's  pig,  "the  gintleman  that  pays  the  rent," 
live  in  the  same  apartment.  Hungry,  vagrant  dogs 
wander  and  lie  about  the  alleys,  usually  the  special 
property  of  no  one,  but  gleaning  a  precarious  sub- 
sistence from  scraps  picked  up  here  and  there. 
They  are  notorious  thieves,  noiselessly  snatching 
away  some  unguarded  native's  dinner.     The  villagers 


244  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

look  upon  them  as  a  rather  useful  class  of  citi- 
zens, in  keeping  away  jackals  and  wolves  at  night. 
Poorly  fed,  they  often  lie  down  and  die,  from  star- 
vation and  scurvy.  Natives  generally  refrain  from 
killing  a  worthless  dog,  from  a  superstition  that  it 
will  take  revenge  on  them  after  death.  Frequently, 
a  herd  of  most  unsightly  hogs  may  be  seen  feeding, 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  attended  by  the  low- 
est of  the  low-caste  as  herdsmen.  -  None  but  an 
Oriental  can  fully  appreciate  to  what  a  depth  of 
degradation  the  prodigal  son  w^as  reduced  when  he 
accepted  such  an  occupation.  The  plains  of  India 
are  thickly  dotted  with  villages   of  this   description. 

Having  passed  through  the  village,  we  stopped 
by  the  side  of  a  large  tank,  just  at  the  entrance, 
and  addressed  some  men  and  boys  who  were  loiter- 
ing there.  Others  joined  them,  until  about  twenty- 
five  hearers  were  present.  They  Avere  suspicious  of 
us  and  our  message,  and  listened  uneasily.  Some 
of  them  set  up  a  defense  of  their  devil-worship,  on 
the  ground  of  safety.  We  urged  them  to  w^orship 
God  alone,  and  trust  him  for  protection. 

In  my  remarks  on  the  sins  common  among  the 
people,  I  referred  to  their  gali,  or  abuse,  which  cor- 
responds to  profanity  among  Europeans.  Gali  is 
vile,  obscene  language,  addressed  to  persons,  or  even 
animals,  generally  in  fits  of  anger.  Indeed,  it  is  in- 
dulged in  just  as  the  profane  swearer  interlards  his 
more  familiar  conversation  with  oaths.  The  inde- 
cent, polluted  language  that  is  thus  used  is  utterly 
unfit  for  repetition  by  way  of  illustration.  The  na- 
tives give  this  gali  to  one  another,  to  their  domestic 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  245 

animals,  and  even  to  inanimate  things,  when  an- 
noyed by  them.  Thus,  a  native  will  abuse,  at  one 
time,  the  bullocks;  at  another,  the  plow  drawn 
by  them.  When  I  referred  to  this  foolish,  sinful 
habit,  a  fellow  attempted  to  defend  it,  on  the  ground 
that  their  work  would  not  go  on  well  without  it. 
He  seemed  to  think  that  language  could  be  made 
more  effective  by  these  fihhy  expressions,  just  as 
foolish  men,  amid  greater  light,  seem  to  think  their 
profanity  contains  some  element  of  effectiveness.  I 
fold  the  apologists  for  vile  abuse  that  God  will  call 
all  such  "filthy  dreamers"  to  a  terrible  account  for 
their  wickedness.  Our  interview  here  was  a  discour- 
aging one,  and  we  returned  to  camp. 

In  the  evening,  went  with  Abraham  to  Data- 
gunge,  this  being  bazaar-day.  Found  the  usual 
noisy  throng  of  buyers  and  sellers.  We  stood  upon 
a  little  elevation  of  earth,  just  on  one  side,  to  de- 
liver the  Gospel  message.  Abraham  spoke  first,  but 
had  not  proceeded  far,  when  he  was  interrupted  by 
an  impudent  moidvy,  who  stepped  up  and  stood  by 
him,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and,  utterly  ignoring  his 
presence,  began  to  harangue  the  crowd  of  listeners 
who  had  collected.  His  object  was  to  turn  away 
their  attention,  and  prevent  them  from  hearing  what 
the  Christian  teacher  had  to  say. 

"One  at  a  time,"  said  I,  taking  him  firmly  by 
the  shoulder. 

"I  must  speak,  too,"  doggedly. 

"Hear  the  teacher  first,"  with  firmness. 

"But  he  is  misleading  the   people,"  indignantly. 

"You  can  speak  afterward,"  still  firmly. 


246  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

''The  people  will  go  away.  You  are  teaching 
error,  and  we  have  no  chance  to  reply,"  somewhat 
subdued. 

"Collect  them  any  time  you  please,  and  talk  as 
long  as  you  please;  but  you  must  not  interrupt  us 
when  we  are  talking." 

''This  is  your  way — no  chance  to  reply,"  fall- 
ing back. 

"We  don't  collect  crowds  for  your  convenience. 
Tell  us  when  it  will  suit  you,  and  we  will  come  and 
discuss  these  matters,  as  long  as  you  desire,  before 
the  people." 

"I  will  discuss  with  you  from  morning  till  night," 
with  great  bravado. 

"Very  well,  when?" 

"Any  day." 

Friday  following  was  named,  and  the  Moslem 
champion  walked  off,  with  an  air  of  great  bravery, 
leaving  us  to  preach  to  the  crowd,  who  had  stood, 
with  upturned  faces,  all  the  while. 

When  Abraham  closed  his  remarks,  I  spoke  of 
sin,  and  the  importance  of  getting  free  from  it  in 
some  way.  A  villager,  with  a  few  pounds  of  grain 
slung  over  his  shoulder,  attempted  to  neutralize  all 
I  had  said,  by  bringing  forward  pantheism.  Every 
thing  is  deity,  and  .deity  is  every  thing;  hence,  the 
folly  of  urging  any  distinction  between  vice  and  vir- 
tue.     Said  he: 

"All  men  are  manifestations  of  deity.  Earth  is 
deity;  every  thing  is  deity." 

"What  is  a  lie?"  I  asked. 

"Deception." 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  247 

*'Do  men  He  to  one  another?" 

*'0,  yes." 

'•Deity  lies  to  deity — deceives  deity?" 

Again : 

'•Do  men  get  angry  and  give  galiV 

'•Yes." 

••Then  deity  gets  angry  with  deity,   and  abuses 

deity." 

To  the  man's  confusion,  the  crowd  laughed,  and 

I  tried  it  again. 

••Is  that  money  deity?"  pointing  to  his  change. 

"Yes." 

'•Are  you  deity?" 

••Yes." 

••Is  that  grain  deity?"  pointing  to  what  he  had 

tied  up. 

••Yes." 

"Then  deity  takes  deity,  and  buys  himself  with 
himself;  and  deity  eats  himself!" 

The  crowd  again  laughed,  at  this  absurd  conclu- 
sion, and  the  fellow  walked  off  with  his  pantheism 
in  confusion. 

We  returned  to  camp,  and  started  one  tent  for- 
ward, in  the  night,  for  a  large  village  called  Saingeny. 

December  10.— We  broke  up  camp,  early  in  the 
morning,  and  set  out  for  Saingeny.  It  was  10 
o'clock,  as  we  neared  the  village,  lying  just  over  a 
little  stream  of  clear,  flowing  water,  that  looked 
doubly  refreshing  and  beautiful  in  this  now  dry  and 
thirsty  land.  Some  bathers  were  performing  relig- 
ious ablutions.  A  loafing  native  chanced  to  be  sit- 
ting on  the  opposite  bank ;  and,  when  I  inquired  for 


248  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  proper  track  in  crossing,  he  gratuitously  rushed 
into  the  water,  which  was  but  shallow,  after  all, 
and,  with  an  amusing  show  of  caution,  beckoned  us 
hither  and  thither,  till  we  reached  the  shore.  He 
then  persisted  in  running  before  us,  to  point  out  the 
way  to  the  tents,  until  I  ordered  him  off,  and  dashed 
all  his  hopes  of  bakshish  (a  gift)  by  telling  him  that 
he  would  not  get  a  pice  for  his  needless  pains. 

We  found  the  tents  pitched  among  a  small  clump 
of  trees,  where  the  Hindus  of  the  village  burn  their 
dead.  The  half-calcined  bones,  in  two  recently  con- 
sumed funeral  piles,  lay  scattered  in  the  ashes. 
Natives  have  great  superstition  about  such  places, 
thinking  that  the  ghosts  of  the  departed  often  hover 
in  goblin  forms  about  them,  not  always  kindly  dis- 
posed to  the  passer-by.  Alexander  told  me  that  his 
wife  asked  him,   in  surprise: 

' '  Why  have  you  ■  brought  us  to  this  unholy 
place?" 

'*0,"  said  he,   *'we  are  holy,  and  need  not  fear."* 

Abundant  as  the  evil  shades  that  hovered  over 
the  ashes  of  those  Hindu  pyres  may  have  been,  the 
place  was  wanting  in  the  friendly  shades  so  much 
needed  as  a  protection  to  tents  from  an  Indian  sun. 

Three  years  ago,  I  encamped  in  this  place,  with 
Mr.  Reid,  a  magistrate  of  the  district,  a  man 
who  does  much,  by  his  sympathy  and  money,  to 
strengthen  the  hands  of  missionaries  wherever  he 
is.  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  seeing  a  native 
whipped  here,  for  stealing,  at  that  time.  Here  is 
the  tree  where  he  was  strung  up,  and  received  thirty 
sharp,    heavy   stripes.      Petty   larceny   is    thus    most 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  249 

effectually  punished  among  these  villagers,  I  am 
told.  Many  thieves  have  not  the  slightest  repulsion 
from  a  short  imprisonment:  but  they  shrink  with 
wholesome  fear  from  a  sound  flogging. 

In  the  evening,  I  went  with  Abraham  to  a  village 
called  Bhagautipore.  I  preached  in  it  three  years 
ago.  A  large  number  of  children,  with  the  curiosity 
of  their  age,  gathered  about  us,  and  listened  quietly, 
with  our  older  hearers.  When  we  had  finished  our 
talk,  the  zemindar  of  the  village  remarked,  with  a 
meditative  and  assenting  nod : 

''When  the  great  and  wealthy  lead  the  way, 
then  we  will  all  become  Christians." 

I  replied  that,  just  to  the  contrary  of  this  in 
these  matters,  the  poor  have  to  set  the  example  for 
the  great.      Here  some  one  put  in : 

''The  poor  will  become  Christiajii^s  for  bread." 

"But  we  do  not  hold  out  such  inducement.  We 
wish  men  to  seek  salvation  from  sin." 

"When  they  get  salvation  for  their  stomachs, 
they  will  think  about  the  other  salvation." 

Thus  it  generally  is  with  these  poor  souls.  They 
cling  most  to  the  promise  that  has  reference  to  the 
"life  that  now  is." 

December  11.  —  In  the  morning,  started  with 
Alexander  to  Datagunge,  to  fulfill  our  engagement 
for  a  discussion  with  the  moulvy  who  had  inter- 
rupted us  a  few  days  previously.  We  find  discus- 
sion useful  in  our  work,  sometimes,  in  arresting  the 
attention  of  some  who  would  not  otherwise  hear  us. 
Paul,  the  great  missionary,  not  only  "disputed  in 
in  the  market  daily  with  those  that  met  him" — that 


250  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

is,  the  promiscuous  multitude — but  also  in  the  syn- 
agogues of  the  Jews,  and  "in  the  school  of  one 
Tyrannus." 

Crossing  a  little  stream  that  came  up  to  the 
horses'  breasts,  we  turned  in  for  a  talk  at  Parsidpore, 
a  village  lying  in  our  way.  In  Datagunge,  we  were 
told  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  village  had  aban- 
doned idolatry.  Round  a  little  fire  we  soon  collected 
a  congregation;  and,  on  inquiry,  found  that  the 
villagers  have  really  forsaken  their  idols,  and  be- 
lieve only  in  God.  The  fact  is  a  remarkable 
one,  and  we  learned  that  for  a  number  of  years, 
under  the  instructions  of  one  of  their  number, 
an  old  man,  they  have,  in  their  way,  worshiped 
only  God. 

How  strange  it  seemed  to  find  such  a  village, 
among  tens  of  thousands  full  of  idolatry!  Each 
village  has  its  local  divinity.  A  little  mound  of 
earth,  or  the  sacred  peepul-tree  begirt  with  a  few 
cotton  threads,  points  out  the  place  where  the  idol- 
ater and  devil -worshiper  resort.  These  things  are 
not  found  in  this  village. 

But,  although  these  villagers  had  given  up  idol- 
atry, still  we  found  them  *'far  from  the  kingdom." 
They  seem  to  be  groping  about  in  some  kind  of 
deism,  which  is  doing  nothing  to  purify  their  hearts. 
I  tried  to  impress  this  fact  on  their  minds,  in  point- 
ing them  to  Christ;  but  their  gray-headed  old  leader 
withstood  us  stoutly. 

Winding  across  the  fields,  here  and  there  covered 
with  a  tall  kind  of  pulse,  we  reached  Datagunge.  I  sent 
word  to  the  moulvy  to  meet  us  at  the  dispensary  for 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  25 1 

the  proposed  discussion;  and,  while  they  were  hunting 
him  up,  the  tahildar,  a  native  official  of  some  impor- 
tance, came  up  and  began  to  talk.     He  is  a  Brahmm, 
and  a  man  of  excellent  sense,   and  has   picked  up  a 
good  deal  of  information  on   places  and   things  out- 
side  of- India.      He   seemed   inclined   to  talk  about 
religion;  and,  from  his  remarks,  he  turned  out  to  be 
a  kind   of  vague,   liberal  deist,  entertaining  a  sp.nt 
of  toleration   for  almost   all   religionists.     He  apolo- 
gized for  the  idolatry  of  the  Hindus  by  saying  that 
it  is   only  symbolical,  and   not  absolutely  necessary 
to   worship.      Idols  are   only  symbols  of  a  presence 
and  assist  the  soul  in  worship.     He  referred  to  the 
'  kneeling    and  devotional   attitudes  of  Christians,  by 
remarking  that  they  are   only  signs  of  a  moral  and 
mental     attitude,     and    not    absolutely    needed    in 

worship.  . 

"But,"  I  asked,  "you  believe  there  is  one  true 

God?" 

"O  yes." 

"Well,  now,  is  it  not  likely  that  this  one  true 
God  has  made  a  revelation  of  his  will  to  man?" 

"Yes  " 

"And  is  it  not  highly  probable,  at  least,  that 
this  revelation  is  preserved  in  a  written  form?" 

"Yes  "  with  some  hesitancy. 

Thus  'we  settled  on  the  probability  of  the  exist- 
ence of  an  inspired  book  containing  God's  will.  I 
then  urged  that,  if  such  a  book  severely  condemn 
idolatry  in  explicit  terms,  this  should  be  final  on 
that  question.  The  claims  of  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures,  and   their  teaching   concerning   idol  worship, 


252  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

were  briefly  considered.  He  was  requested  to  study 
the  claims  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 

He  then  referred  to  the  existence  of  numerous 
sects  among  Christians,  and  to  the  deadly  spirit  of 
intolerance  and  persecution  that  has  marked  their 
history  at  times.  He  had  even  heard  of  the  rack 
and  fagot.  This  seemed  to  him,  naturally  enough, 
like  an  adverse  comment  on  the  Christian  Scriptures. 
I  had  to  enter,  as  I  best  could,  into  an  explanation 
of  this  unfortunate  phenomenon  in  the  history  of 
Christendom. 

The  conversation  then  turned  on  the  Brahmos, 
the  modern  Hindu  deists.  They  are  reformed  idol- 
aters, and  their  creed  embraces  the  following  cardinal 
points : 

1.  There  exists  one  eternal,  supreme  God,  infinite 
in  all  his  attributes,  good  and  merciful. 

2.  He  is  Spirit;  hence,  without  form. 

3.  From  his  worship  and  service  alone  can  hap- 
piness be  enjoyed  here  and  hereafter. 

4.  The  worship  of  God  consists  in  acts  of  devo- 
tion and  praise,  and  his  service  in  the  practice  of 
virtue. 

5.  The  soul  is  liable  to  transmigration,  until 
thoroughly  purified,  and  prepared  for  the  region  of 
eternal  blessedness. 

6.  The  only  true  revelation  is  pure  intuition,  by 
which  the  thoughtful  and  virtuously  disposed  can 
discover  truth  and  the  path  of  duty. 

The  main  points  on  which  these  reformers  insist 
are,  a  renunciation  of  idolatry  and  polytheism ;  the 
abolition  of  caste,  polygamy,   and   infant   marriages; 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  253 

female  education;  the  introduction  of  woman  into 
society;  and  purity  of  morals.  Their  form  of  wor- 
ship is  considerably  modeled  after  that  of  Christian 
congregations. 

The  tahsildar  remarked,  with  great  shrewdness, 
that  the  Brahmos  will  split  up  into  factions  and  fail 
to  effect  any  thing.  He  saw  the  weakness  of  a 
religion  founded  simply  on  intuition  and  the  light 
of  nature. 

We  had  walked  back  and  sat  down  at  the  dis- 
pensary. The  tahsildar  withdrew,  and  I  had  the 
native  doctor  prepare  some  hot  water,  with  which  I 
elaborated  a  delicious  cup  of  tea.  The  dry  tea  I 
had  brought  in  my  pocket.  The  native  doctor 
proved  an  exceedingly  kind  and  polite  fellow,  bring- 
ing me  milk  and  some  native  cakes,  and  standing 
by  as  a  servant  while  I  ate.  Breakfast  lunch  over, 
I  went  into  the  verandah  for  an  interview  with  the 
moulvy,  who  had  come  up.  At  first,  he  sent 
word  that  he  was  employed,  and  could  not  come; 
but  I  sent  him  a  second  message,  to  the  effect  that 
I  was  surprised  at  the  suddenness  with  which  his 
great  religious  zeal  had  vanished.  I  reminded  him 
of  his  effort  to  combat  error  a  few  days  before,  and 
intimated  that  now  he  had  an  open  field.  Well, 
there  he  was,  but  much  less  confident,  and  much 
more  modest  than  when  I  saw  him  first.  A  number 
of  hearers  had  assembled.  I  then  proposed  a  calm 
discussion  of  some  of  the  points  on  which  Moham- 
medans take  issue  with  Christians.  He  asked  to 
be  excused  from  any  discussion,  remarking,  very 
meekly,  that  he  had  not  the  ability  to  engage  in  it 


254  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

with  me.  He  had  come  forward,  on  that  evening, 
under  a  thoughtless  impulse  of  zeal;  but  really,  al- 
though he  had  dropped  a  challenge,  had  no  thought 
of  a  discussion  with  me.  I  tried,  in  vain,  to  get 
him  to  enter  into  a  friendly  discussion  of  some 
points,  having  my  mind  on  benefiting  those  who 
were  present  to  hear.  But  he  begged  off;  and  I  let 
him  go,  to  his  manifest  satisfaction.  He  was  evi- 
dently afraid  of  being  worsted  before  his  friends,  and 
chose  the  mortification  of  a  retreat  rather  than  of  a 
defeat.  I  let  him  go,  feeling  that,  as  it  was,  a  moral 
advantage  had  been  gained  for  the  truth. 

Mohammedans,  until  they  are  brought  in  contact 
with  us  a  few  times,  are  often  rampant,  and  anxious 
for  discussion,  thinking  they  can  put  us  to  shame 
and  confusion  at  once.  A  few  conversations  gener- 
ally make  them  more  modest  and  wary.  I  visited 
this  village  a  few  years  ago,  and,  while  preaching,  a 
lad  rushed  up,  and  tried  to  draw  me  into  discussion 
by  demanding  if  God  has  a  wife.  He  was  for  at- 
tacking the  title  of  our  Savior  as  **Son  of  God." 

From  the  dispensary  went  into  the  bazaar,  to  make 
the  best  of  our  visit  to  Datagunge.  We  preached 
several  rounds,  standing  on  the  side  of  the  street. 
When  I  got  tired,  Alexander  talked;  and  when  he 
needed  rest,  I  talked.  Of  course,  our  congregation 
kept  changing  all  the  time,  as  the  street  passers 
came  and  went.  Generally,  they  heard  well ;  but 
one  gray,  burly,  old  Brahmin  tried  to^  withstand  us. 
When  I  referred  to  the  gali  (abuse)  of  the  natives, 
he  retorted  by  saying  that  English  people  also  give 
gali.      He  gave,  as  an   instance,   the  fact  that  some 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  255 

men  call  a  servant  suar  (hog),  when  annoyed  at  him. 
I  felt  that  this  must  sound  bad  to  the  natives,  in  a 
country  where  this  animal  is  detested  so  much.  He 
remarked,  too,  that  many  Englishmen,  when  angry, 
say  '*damn  yer."  This  phrase  he  repeated  with 
such  a  pronunciation  that  I  could  not  understand 
him  at  first,  but  at  last  gathered  that  he  had  heard 
it  from  angry  soldiers.  I  was  sorry  to  admit  that 
some  men,  whom  they  might  take  for  Christians,  do 
sometimes  use  very  bad  language. 

December  12. — In  the  morning,  I  went  across  the 
dry   fields   to    Saingeny,    about   three    miles    distant. 
The   outcry   of   all   was,    ''Rain!    rain!"     The   poor 
people    are    suffering   for   lack    of   food.      I    tried    to 
turn  their  thoughts  to  God  and  the  other  world ;  but 
they   did    not   get   into   sympathy   with   the   subject. 
Some   one   intimated   that   the   Christian  religion,   at 
any  rate,   is   no   better  than  any  other;    hence,   why 
should  they  abandon  their  own  for  it?     This  position 
was   maintained  by  a  reference   to  bad   Englishmen 
again.      I  was   obliged   to   put   this  unpleasant  ques- 
tion   in    its   proper   light   before   these   hearers    once 
more,  hoping  that  it  might  be  understood".      As  I  re- 
turned home,   the  sun  was  very  hot,   and  I  got  my 
head   ''touched   up,"   as   they   say   in   India.     From 
some  cause,   at  times  an  hour's  sun  will  give  one  a 
pain  in  the  temples  or  back  of  the  head  and  neck. 
This   usually ,  passes   off,   in  the   evening.     Abraham 
was  sick,  and  laid  by  for  the  day. 

In  the  evening,  rode  with  Alexander  to  a  large 
village  called  Jamalpore.  We  rehearsed  the  "story 
of   the   cross"    to    a    large    group    of   hearers,    who 


256  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

assembled  in  the  chaupal.  A  large  part  of  our 
preaching  must  be  a  repetition  of  this  story.  The 
facts  of  Christ's  incarnation,  life,  sufferings,  death, 
resurrection,  and  ascension  must  be  preached  and  re- 
hearsed until  they  are  familiar  to  the  people.  Wes- 
cot,  in  his  ''Introduction  to  the  New  Testament," 
suggests  that,  long  before  the  Gospel  history  had  a 
written  form,  it  had  a  verbal  circulation,  and  was 
widely  known,  in  perhaps  nearly  the  form  in  which 
we  have  it  from  the  evangelists.  Thus  we  are  trying 
to  preach  Jesus,  the  risen  Savior,  all  over  this  coun- 
try; and  we  look  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make  this 
story,  this  Gospel  message,  ''the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation"  to  many. 

The  villagers  listened  to  us  kindly  here,  but  said 
they  could  not  see  their  way  of  escape  from  the 
devees  (divinities),  who  would  surely  harm  them,  if. 
forsaken.  Some  one  in  the  crowd  proposed  that 
they  abandon  their  gods  and  devils  for  a  month, 
when,  if  no  harm  befell  them,  they  could  venture 
further.  I  then  explained  to  them  our  mode  of  wor- 
ship, our  family  and  private  prayer,  and  the  keeping 
of  the  Sabbath.  Natives  often  have  a  great  curios- 
ity to  know  how  Christians  worship,  and  are  almost 
always  favorably  impressed  with  the  simple,  rational 
way  in  which  they  worship  God,  or  should  wor- 
ship him. 

Sunday,  December  13. — With  the  exception  of 
having  worship  for  camp,  at  the  tent,  we  usually 
work  among  the  villagers,  on  Sunday,  as  on  other 
days.  We  never  march,  or  allow  any  merely  secular 
work  done.     In  the  morning,   went  with  Alexander 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  257 

to  Bhagautlpore,  a  village  about  a  mile  from  camp. 
We  found  a  little  knot  of  men  around  a  smoldering 
fire,  chatting  and  smoking,  and,  joining  them,  soon 
collected  a  good  morning  congregation. 

The  conversation  in  some  way  turned,  for  a  time, 
on  the  mutiny  of  '57.  A  man  complained  that  he 
had  received  no  reward  for  his  friendly  services  to 
the  pfovernment  in  that  time  of  trouble.  He  had 
done  wonderful  things  against  the  rebels,  and  had 
rendered  most  important  services;  but,  while  others 
had  been  liberally  rewarded  by  government,  under 
similar  circumstances,  there  had  been  no  recogni- 
tion of  his  worthy  deeds.  Such  growlers  I  had  met 
often  before;  and  I  merely  remarked,  dryly,  that, 
if  he  had  done  loyal  service,  in  an  hour  of  trial,  to 
his  government,  he  had  but  done  his  duty. 

When  the  Indian  mutiny  was  over,  the  British 
government  very  liberally  rewarded  many  natives, 
who  had  not  only  remained  loyal,  but  had,  in  some 
way,  befriended  Enghsh  people,  in  those  awful  days. 
Some  natives  secreted  Europeans,  and  saved  them 
from  death.  Others  resisted  the  rebels,  and  con- 
veyed  information  of  their  movements  to  the  English 
lines.  Such  were  rewarded,  either  with  large  sums 
of  money,  or  the  confiscated  lands  of  insurgent  lead- 
ers. Some  poor  men  were  thus  raised  to  affluence 
and  dignity.  No  doubt  this  has  had  a  happy  effect 
on  the  native  mind.  Another  mutiny  would  find 
thousands  only  too  willing  to  risk  their  lives  in  pro- 
tecting and  saving  Europeans,  and  aiding  the  gov- 
ernment,  in   hope   of  reward. 

Dropping    the    mutiny    question,     I    asked    the 
22 


258  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

attention  of  the  villagers  to  the  Gospel  message — to 
their  rebellion  against  heaven,  and  to  the  mode  of 
reconciliation  provided.  I  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  some  one  tried  to  retort  the  charge  of  ava- 
rice  and   covetousness   on   the   English   government. 

*'Why  do  you  take  land-tax,  if  you  are  not 
covetous?" 

I  here  explained  that  government  could  not  be 
carried  on  without  revenue.  The  revenue  secures 
the  officers  for  justice,  an  army  for  protection,  teach- 
ers for  their  schools,  doctors  for  their  hospitals,  and 
general  public  improvements.  I  called  his  attention 
to  the  security  that  all  enjoy  under  the  British  gov- 
ernment, and  to  the  fact  that  hundreds  of  men  are 
getting  rich.  I  expressed  to  him  my  surprise  that 
he  and  so  many  of  his  countrymen  do  not  think 
of  and  understand  these  things.  The  man  became 
silent  for  a  moment.  He  did  not  wish  to  be  con- 
vinced, but  desired  to  grumble  and  withstand  us. 
Again  he  broke  out: 

*'SinCe  you  first  came  to  our  village,  it  has  dried 
up.      See  what  a  famine  is  prevailing." 

I  referred  him,  much  to  his  confusion,  to  the 
greater  distress  then  existing  in  Rajputana  and  other 
native  states.  I  asked  them  all  to  call  to  mind  the 
fact  that  formerly,  under  native  rule,  dreadful  fam- 
ines often  occurred,  in  which  thousands  perished. 
Now,  through  the  system  of  irrigation  established 
by  the  English  government,  such  calamities  are  fast 
disappearing. 

I  then  called  them  back  to  the  object  of  our 
visit;    but   they  heard  with   great   indifference.     We 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  259 

left  them,  worried  at  the  difficulty  of  arresting  atten- 
tion and  impressing  truth.  Often,  after  a  hard  day's 
preaching,  from  the  effects  of  the  sun  and  the  worri- 
ment  of  continued  talking  and  opposition,  I  have 
had  feverish  dreams  at  night,  in  which  the  scenes 
of  the  day  were  re-enacted  in  some  aggravated  form. 
At  midday  we  had  service  in  the  tent. 

In  the  evening,  went  with  Alexander  to  Jamal- 
pore,  where  we  had  been  before.  A  large  crowd 
assembled.  After  repeating  the  Gospel  plan  of  sal- 
vation, the  conversation  turned  on  the  utter  folly  of 
worshiping  and  trusting  in  the  Hindu  divinities.  A 
kayat,  or  writer,  listened  with  great  attention,  and 
then  gave  his  experience  as  confirming  Avhat  I  had 
said.  He  had  lost  several  children,  and  in  each  case 
had  strictly  followed  the  instructions  of  the  Brah- 
mins, to  no  purpose.  He  had  made  all  the  offerings, 
and  given  the  specified  alms,  to  no  effect.  In  spite 
of  all,  his  children  had  died.  His  faith  was  shaken, 
and  he  would  abandon  their  worship ;  but  the  female 
members  of  his  family  stubbornly  insisted  on  keep- 
ing it  up.  He  and  other  men  in  the  village  had,  at 
different  times,  resolved  to  give  up  idol  worship  and 
calling  upon  the  village  gods.  Then  some  sickness 
came — the  women  got  frightened,  and  drove  them 
back  to  the  idols  and  tutelary  gods.  He  was  con- 
vinced; but  what  could  he  do  under  such  circum- 
stances? 

Here  the  village  Brahmin,  who  had  been  mod- 
estly listening  all  the  while,  came  to  the  rescue. 
His  theory  was  that  the  children  died  because  they 
were  born   on   certain  unlucky  days.     These  village 


26o  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  family  priests  pretend  to  be  able  to  foretell, 
from  the  month,  day,  hour,  and  minute  in  which  a 
child  is  born,  its  future  career.  They  write  the 
child's  horoscope  for  the  anxious  parents;  but  the 
predictions,  like  the  classic  oracular  responses  of  old, 
usually  have  such  a  doubtful  or  double  meaning  that 
a  failure  in  fulfillment  is  far  from  apparent  when  it 
happens.  This  fellow  insisted  that  an  unlucky  as- 
trological conjunction  was  the  cause  of  these  deaths. 
Here  Alexander  dashed  all  the  zealous  priest's  hope 
of  retrieving  his  wavering  cause,  by  remarking  that, 
when  his  first  child  was  born,  a  Brahmin  had  told 
him,  very  plainly,  that  it  would  not  live  beyond  a 
certain  time.  It  had  not  only  far  outlived  that  time, 
but  was  a  remarkably  healthy  child.  The  defendant 
of  horoscopy  was  confounded. 

A  good  impression  seemed  to  be  made ;  and  a 
sturdy-looking  villager,  whose  muscular  limbs  bore 
testimony  to  his  ability  and  courage,  but  whose  faith 
in  the  existence  of  malignant  divinities  was  hardly 
fully  overthrown,  here  courageously  observed  that, 
if  the  devees  "would  meet  us  face  to  face,  we  would 
fight  them."  His  point  was  that,  Avhen  the  invisible 
enemy  assails  them  with  disease,  it  is  hardly  a  fair 
fight.  What  can  they  do  but  appease  the  hidden 
assailants  with  some  kind  of  religious  compromise? 
I  urged  them  not  to  fear,  as  the  whole  is  a  fabrica- 
tion of  vain  imaginings,  perpetuated  by  the  Brahmins 
for  their  own  profit.  Even  the  apologetic  priest 
looked  thoughtful  as  we  rode  away. 

December  14. — Had  a  cup  of  coffee  before  sun- 
rise,  and   sent   one   to    Abraham,   who   was   laid  by 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  261 

with  fever  for  a  day.  We  then  started  for  a  village 
with  the  pretentious  name  of  Sultanpore  (Emperor 
City),  about  three  miles  distant.  In  India,  one  is 
reminded  of  the  large -sounding  names  of  sundry 
petty  villages  in  some  parts  of  the  United  States. 

As  we  pushed  out,  the  sun  rose  wonderfully 
large  and  lurid  through  the  mists  of  the  morning. 
Now  we  cross  fields  drought-blasted  and  forsaken; 
now  pass  on  where  available  wells  and  tanks  had 
produced  a  bright  green  surface,  promising  the  hus- 
bandman a  return  for  his  toil ;  now  we  went,  by  cow- 
paths,  through  a  jungle  of  low  underwood,  called  by 
the  natives  a  '*bun. "  Emerging  from  the  dim,  fra- 
grant with  the  large,  heavy  blossoms  of  some  low 
trees,  we  enter  wide  fields  of  araliar,  a  tall,  many- 
branched,  woody  plant,  bearing  a  kind  of  pulse. 
The  pulse  forms  a  large  part  of  the  food  of  the  na- 
tives; and  these  fields  promise  a  fair  harvest,  in  this 
season  of  pinching  scarcity.  Irrigation  has  done  its 
work  well  here. 

We  reached  Sultanpore,  so  pretentious  in  name; 
but  found  it  to  be  a  little  poverty-stricken  village, 
with  half  of  its  huts  deserted,  and  their  thatches 
tumbled  in,  and  the  mud  walls  crumbling  down. 
Altogether,  it  wore  a  vile  and  wretched  air.  Save  a 
few  shy-looking  women  and  a  wan-looking  man,  we 
found  no  one  in  the  village.  The  man  told  us  that 
the  other  villagers  who  live  there  were  at  the  tanks, 
putting  the  only  water  that  remained  on  the  fields. 
To  the  fields  we  went,  in  quest  of  hearers  to  whom 
we  could  talk  of  the  ** water  of  life,"  and  invite  them 
to  drink,  "without  money  and  without  price."     We 


262  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

found  a  half-dozen  men  at  two  tanks,  relieving  each 
other  by  turns,  while  the  steady,  measured  swash, 
swash,  swash,  as  they  threw  the  water  up,  greeted 
our  ears.      Abraham  took  one  group,  I  the  other. 

Sitting  down  near  the  muddy  stream  of  water 
that  flowed  off  on  the  thirsty  fields,  the  message  of 
life  was  opened.  I  talked  to  them  of  sin,  and  the 
great  Savior  that  had  been  provided  to  deliver  us 
from  its  power,  now  and  forever.  I  urged  them  to 
forsake,  as  English  people  had  done  long  ago,  the 
gods  of  their  vain  imaginations.  They  worked  away 
by  turns,  listening  attentively  all  the  while.  Then 
one  of  them,  with  great  apparent  sincerity,  remarked 
that,  when  ten  or  fifteen  men  in  some  neighboring 
village  come  out  and,  joining  us,  abandon  the  gods, 
they  would  venture.  But  to  venture  alone  seemed 
to  them  hardly  practicable  and  safe. 

It  is  probable  that  a  conviction  of  the  truth 
and  infinite  superiority  of  Christianity  will  gradually 
permeate  the  mass,  long  before  the  people,  in  large 
numbers,  turn  openly  to  Christ.  Then  the  move- 
ment will  begin — family  will  follow  family,  village 
will  follow  village,  in  a  rapid  spread  of  true  and 
nominal  Christianity.  Now  we  must  work  away, 
scattering  broadcast  the  seed,  till  for  India  also  glo- 
rious '  *  times  of  refreshing  come  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord." 

Exhorting  our  hearers  to  hold  fast  the  word  of 
truth  spoken  to  them,  we  returned  to  camp,  skirting 
the  fields  of  tall  pulse,  the  fragrant  jungle,  and  pass- 
ing the  village  where  I  met  a  colossal  zemindar  a 
day   or  two   before.      We   did   not  stop,   as  the  sun 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  263 

was  already  quite  hot.  Reaching  camp,  we  break- 
fasted, and  then  made  preparations  for  the  march  to 
Budaon. 

In  the  first  place,  a  cart  was  caught,  **begar" 
(impressed),  as  the  native  tongue  has  it.  The  cus- 
tom that  compelled  Simon  the  Cyrenian  to  bear  the 
fainting  Redeemer's  cross  is  commonly  practiced  at 
the  present  time  here.  When  Europeans  or  ruling 
natives  need  carts,  or  vehicles  of  any  kind,  and  cooly 
labor,  they  simply  impress  them,  whether  the  owners 
and  coolies  are  willing  or  not.  The  correct  hire  and 
wages  are  generally  given,  however.  Such  is  the 
indolence,  shiftlessness,  and  want  in  the  natives  of  a 
disposition  to  accommodate,  that  this  really  seems 
the  only  way  to  get  on  among  them.  For  instance, 
here  were  carts  idle  in  this  village.  The  full  hire 
was  offered  to  the  owners,  and  yet,  until  they  were 
forced  to  come,  not  one  of  them  would  move.  The 
forcing  is  usually  done  by  sending  a  servant,  with  a 
bit  of  authority,  who  scolds  and  threatens,  and  per- 
haps pulls  the  cart  away  and  has  it  loaded.  Th6 
owner,  in  a  sulky  enough  mood,  submits.  Some- 
times carts  can  be  obtained  without  such  measures. 
Often,  too,  great  injustice  is  done  a  poor  villager  who 
may  be  passing  where  a  cart  is  needed.  His  cart 
will  be  impressed,  and  he  compelled  to  go  scores  of 
miles  out  of  his  way,  to  his  great  inconvenience. 
At  such  times  he  may  bribe  the  servant  with  a  small 
sum  of  money,  and  get  off;  but  some  one  else  is 
then  caught  up  in  the  same  way.  A  roguish  servant 
will  at  times  carry  on  this  game,  until  he  has  ''made 
a  nice  thing  of  it,"  getting  a  pocket  full  of  change, 


264  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  then  holding  on  to  the  last  cart,  meeting  thereby 
the  demands  of  the  case. 

In  the  evening,  went  with  Abraham  and  Alex- 
ander to  the  bazaar  of  a  neighboring  village,  for  our 
last  effort  in  this  place  at  present.  The  bazaar  was 
held  in  a  large  mango  grove,  just  outside  of  the 
village.  We  improvised  a  pulpit  from  a  cart  that 
had  done  duty  in  carrying  some  kind  of  produce  to 
the  bazaar.  A  very  large  crowd  assembled,  and  list- 
ened with  good  attention.  A  murmur  of  assent 
was  heard,  now  and  then,  to  much  that  was  said. 
One  fellow,  who  was  manifestly  harboring  some  kind 
of  disaffected  feelings  toward  the  government,  wanted 
to  know  how  the  English  obtained  Bhurtpore,  a 
city  captured  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century. 

Coming  to  India  simply  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Gospel,  one  does  not  fancy  being  constituted  a 
political  diplomatist,  to  be  catechised,  now  and  then, 
for  a  justification  of  the  acts  of  the  English  here. 
But  it  is  to  the  interest  of  Christianity  that  the  op- 
pressions of  British  power  in  India  be  made  to 
appear  lawful.  Fortunately,  in  most  instances  this  can 
be  done.  Lord  Lake  captured  Bhurtpore  in  a  cam- 
paign against  the  offending  Maharattas;  but  I  am 
not  sure  that  the  act  was  justified  in  the  eyes  of  the 
villager  that  evening.  Generally  speaking,  the 
Hindus  are  happy  and  prosperous  under  British 
rule,  and  feel  it  to  be  a  deliverance  from  Moham- 
medan power;  yet  the  fact  is  not  disguised  that 
many  of  them  look  upon  the  English  as  intruders 
in  India.     They  feel  that,  in  some  way,  the  country 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  265 

has  been  wrested  from  them,  the  ancient,  rightful 
owners.  The  feehng  is  similar  to  that  entertained 
by  some  of  the  American  Indians,  and  makes  them 
uneasy  under  taxation  phases  of  British  legislation 
and  power.  They  undoubtedly  prefer  British  to  Mos- 
lem rule,  but  do  not  recognize  their  own  incapacity 
to  govern  themselves  in  a  prosperous  and  enlight- 
ened manner.  I  exhorted  all  to  think  more  about 
God  and  his  government,  and  prepare  for  the  eter- 
nal world.  How  hard  it  is  to  turn  this  people  to 
the  Lord! 

December  15. — Was  up  before  daylight,  and  get- 
ting ready  for  an  early  march.  One  tent  had  gone 
off,  at  midnight,  that  a  tent  and  resting-place  for 
breakfast  might  be  ready  midway  to  Budaon.  A 
cartman  tried  to  beg  off;  but  one  gets  accustomed 
to  the  ways  of  the  natives,  and  little  heed  is  paid  to 
what  they  say  at  such  times.  When  he  saw  that  he 
must  go,  he  went  cheerily  to  work,  loading  his  cart. 
Often,  the  natives  raise  a  whine  about  the  inconven- 
ience of  doing  a  thing,  in  the  hope  that  greater  in- 
ducement may  be  offered  to  them;  but  the  trick 
loses  its  force  against  those  who  have  been  in  the 
country  for  a  time.  The  natives  become  accus- 
tomed, too,  to  be  driven,  and  do  not  grieve  much 
on  that  account. 

Tents  struck,  we  set  off  in  the  saddle,  the  chil- 
dren in  their  dooly  (palanquin),  while  the  coolies 
who  carried  them  kept  time,  in  response  to  each 
other,  with  their  peculiar  grunt.  We  passed  through 
a  long  stretch  of  bun  (jungle),  thick  and  tangled  in 
places,    looking    like    a    famous    retreat    for   wolves. 

23 


266  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

Emerging  from  this,  a  rise  of  a  few  feet  brought  us 
up  on  a  dehghtful  plateau  of  green  fields,  among 
which  we  wound, 'and  turned  away  to  Machli,  a  vil- 
lage, where  we  found  our  tent  pitched  in  the  pleasant 
shade  of  a  (ew  mango-trees. 

Breakfast  over,  went  with  Abraham  to  the  village 
chaupal.  We  sat  down  at  the  chaupal,  and  sent  the 
chatikedar  to  notify  the  villagers.  Soon  a  crowd 
gathered  up,  fringed,  in  front,  with  noisy  children. 
All  were  requested  to  keep  quiet,  while  we  talked 
to  them  about  Christ  and  his  salvation.  For  a  time, 
they  heard  well.  Interruption  came,  at  last,  from  a 
native,  who  put  himself  forward  as  spokesman  for 
the  villagers.  He  urged  that  all  are  helpless,  the 
victims  of  may  a,  or  the  great  illusion  which  has  gone 
forth  from  God. 

* 'Nothing,"  said  he,  "is  real.  Every  manifesta- 
tion of  matter  and  being  is  a  divine  illusion.  These 
dreams  must  be  broken,  in  some  way,  and  an  escape 
effected  from  this  ideal  existence.  All  will  then  be 
merged  in  the  divine  reality.      God  alone  exists." 

This  is  popular  idealism  among  the  Hindus.  It 
causes  thousands  of  infatuated  fakeers  to  undergo 
most  painful  asceticism  and  torture,  to  break  the 
illusive  spell.  I  made  use  of  some  simple  illustra- 
tions, to  show  the  hearers  how  irrational  the  illusion 
theory  is.  We  tried,  without  much  apparent  suc- 
cess, to  turn  their  minds  to  Jesus  and  the  blessed 
reality  of  his  salvation. 

When  the  sun  had  descended  well  down  the  sky, 
we  struck  tent,  and,  mounting  our  horses,  rode  away 
toward   home.      It   was   a   delightful,    calm    evening. 


THE  RETURN  HOME.  267 

My  mind  ran  back  over  the  tour  just  completed, 
with  mingled  feelings  of  pleasure  and  sadness — pleas- 
ure at  having  been  able  to  carry  the  message  of  light 
and  salvation  to  the  homes  of  so  many  dark,  sin- 
enchained  souls;  sadness  at  the  indifference  and  op- 
position so  often  encountered,  and  at  the  reflection 
that  numbers  of  these  will  perish  without  Christ. 
**  Thanks  be  unto  God,  which  maketh  manifest  the 
savor  of  his  knowledge  by  us  in  every  place;"  yet 
to  some  "we  are  the  savor  of  death  unto  death," 
while  to  others  **the  savor  of  life  unto  hfe.  And 
who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?" 


268  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


X. 

CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE. 

MARCH  12,  1869. — Nearly  three  months  have 
elapsed  since  my  last  tour  among  the  vil- 
lages. Meanwhile,  the  fifth  session  of  the  India 
Conference  was  held,  and  my  appointment  changed 
from  Budaon,  where  I  had  labored  for  about  six 
years,  to  Bareilly.  Having  become  settled,  I  begin 
to  look  round  and  explore  my  new  field. 

Aligunge  is  a  village  of  seventeen  hundred  in- 
habitants, about  fifteen  miles  distant  from  Bareilly. 
Cyrus  Burge,  a  native  helper,  has  been  stationed 
here  for  nearly  a  year  and  a  half.  A  cart,  with  tent 
and  camp  equipage,  had  been  sent  on  the  previous 
day;  so,  after  an  early  cup  of  tea,  with  toast,  I 
drove  from  the  mission-house,  at  a  sharp  pace,  down 
the  stone  road  that  led  over  the  Ramgunga  River 
and  toward  camp.  As  the  brown-thatched  villages 
began  to  appear,  here  and  there,  over  the  well-tilled 
plain  that  stretched,  with  a  grand  expanse,  "far  and 
wide,"  and  fell  away  in  a  gentle  descent  to  the 
river,  I  felt  myself  to  be  in  my  parish  once  more. 
Files  of  chatting  women,  carrying  heavy  baskets  of 
fuel,  trotted  up  the  road,  going  to  the  market  in 
Bareilly.  I  pitied  the  slender  girls,  who  seemed  to 
bend  and  quiver  under  their  burdens,  and  longed  for 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  269 

the  day  when  women  in  India  will  be  less  like 
beasts  of  burden,  and  be  happy  in  the  great  sal- 
vation. 

Reaching  the  bridge  of  boats,  I  sent  back  my 
tum-tum  (two-wheeled  vehicle),  as  it  is  called,  and 
passed  over  the  bridge  on  foot,  and  found  my  sec- 
ond horse  waiting  for  me.  It  had  been  sent  on,  as 
a  relay,  before  daylight.  Numbers  of  Hindus  were 
bathing  in  the  river,  and  muttering  their  morning 
prayers.  One  blind,  old  man  had  spread  his  coarse 
blanket  on  the  bank,  and,  rolling  his  sightless,  dis- 
figured eyes  toward  the  rising  sun,  simply  repeated, 
"Ram!  Ram!"  (the  name  of  a  god),  with  devout, 
weary  emphasis. 

Mounting,  I  rode  away  to  Aligunge,  and  was 
annoyed  to  find  that  the  careless  men  had  only  put 
part  of  the  tent  on  the  cart.  "Let  patience  have 
her  perfect  work."  Well,  if  "practice  makes  per- 
fect," here  is  the  place  to  graduate  in  this  desirable 
virtue.  Here  I  was,  with  all  hopes  of  comfortable 
shelter  dashed,  for  this  time.  The  best  thing  I 
could  do  was  to  take  up  quarters  with  Cyrus,  the 
native  helper,  in  his  low  mud  house.  He  has  a 
wife  and  three  children.  My  greatest  annoyance  is 
a  rascally  odor,  hinting  that  the .  place  had  been  oc- 
cupied by  goats.  Smoke  from  the  little  hearth, 
where  my  native  brother's  wife  cooks  their  food, 
pours  into  my  quarters,  to  the  discomfort  of  my 
eyes,  while  a  school  of  twenty  lads  actually  yell 
their  lessons,  in  an  adjoining  room,  to  the  distrac- 
tion of  my  helpless  ears.  "All's  well  that  ends 
well;"  and,  if  God  only  blesses  our  entrance  among 


2/0  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

this  people  with  the  salvation  of  souls,  what  a  glori- 
ous reward! 

While  a  "bite"  of  breakfast  was  preparing,  I 
examined  the  little  school  that  Cyrus  keeps  up. 
About  twenty  boys  read  English  and  the  vernacu- 
lar. They  are  not  very  well  organized ;  but  there  is 
a  nucleus  for  a  good  village  school.  I  arranged  for 
some  rewards  for  progress  in  study  and  good  at- 
tendance; and  the  eyes  of  the  boys  sparkled  at  the 
prospect  of  getting  something  nice  as  prizes.  This 
school  is  an  important  part  of  our  wofk  in  this 
village.  Already,  the  fathers  of  the  pupils  are 
becoming  more  kindly  inclined  toward  us,  while 
no  earthly  power  can  erase  the  lines  that  are  being 
traced  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  pupils. 

After  breakfast,  a  pundit  (Hindu  religious  teacher) 
sent  in  his  salam,  with  a  request  for  an  interview. 
I  found  him  to  be  a  plain,  frank-spoken  man,  who 
talked  freely  and  intelligently  about  religion.  He 
disavowed  all  sympathy  with  idolatry,  confused  and 
bewildered  me  with  a  shower  of  nasal-toned  Sanskrit 
slokes  (quotations),  from  the  sacred  books,  display- 
ing something  of  the  accustomed  vanity  of  his  pro- 
fession. I  managed  to  stay  the  resounding  slokes, 
in  some  way;  and  we  talked  about  sin  for  a  while. 
The  pimdit,  with  amusing  simplicity,  told  me,  that, 
when  he  was  a  boy,  he  used  to  steal  fruit  from  his 
teacher's  garden,  and  that,  to  this  day,  the  condem- 
nation of  this  rested  on  his  heart.  He  asked  me, 
with  great  apparent  sincerity,  how  he  could  get  free 
from  this  condemnation.  Christ,  the  Savior,  was 
presented  to  him  as  able  and  ready  to  deliver  him. 


CAMP  AT  ALI GUNGE.  27 1 

I  placed  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in  his  hand, 
requesting  him  to  read  it  carefully,  and  learn  what  a 
Deliverer  it  reveals. 

Toward  evening,  Fazal  UUah  joined  us  from 
Budaon.  He  has  been  baptized,  and  is  now  preach- 
ing among  the  villages,  and  bids  fair  to  make  a  most 
useful  helper.  He  himself  is  good  evidence  that 
our  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  This  was 
bazaar  day  in  the  village;  and  we  went  to  the  bazaar 
place,  and  found  a  large  crowd  assembled  in  a  narrow, 
dusty  street.  On  the  elevated  sidewalk,  where  bun- 
dles of  grass  lay  exposed  for  sale,  we  stood  up  and 
preached  to  a  most  attentive  audience.  To  our  re- 
marks on  the  nature  of  sin,  the  folly  of  idolatry, 
the  necessity  of  a  Savior,  and  the  claims  of  Christ 
as  the  needed  Savior,  not  one  objection  was  urged. 

From  the  bazaar,  we  took  a  turn  in  search  of  a 
place  to  build  a  native  preacher's  house,  to  contain 
accommodations  for  the  school  also.  In  all  such 
villages  we  should  have  permanent  quarters  in  our 
own  possession,  where  we  are  not  likely  to  be  dis- 
turbed at  the  caprice  of  the  villagers.  Cyrus  lives 
in  a  rented  house,  which  the  proprietor  has  desired 
him  to  vacate  several  times.  A  good  site  was  found 
for  a  building;  but  a  more  difficult  question  now  is, 
how  to  get  the  money  with  which  to  build?  If  the 
good  people  in  Christian  lands  only  knew  more  fully 
how,  with  greater  liberality,  they  could  wonderfully 
strengthen  every  missionary  enterprise,  and  how  the 
work  often  languishes  in  discouragement  for  want  of 
funds,  they  certainly  would  be  more  **  ready  to  com- 
municate." 


272  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

At  night,  I  took  tea  in  the  open  court-yard  of 
the  helper's  house,  glad  of  the  free  air.  Fazal  Ullah 
and  a  Mohammedan  young  friend,  who  came  with 
him,  drank  a  cup  with  me — a  very  unusual  thing  on 
the  part  of  the  Moslem.  Mohammedan  bigotry,  in 
India,  precludes  the  taking  of  food  with  Christians. 
The  ''Great  Bear,"  with  his  tail  stretched  across  the 
sky,  was  before  us,  while  the  "pointers"  indicated 
the  North  Star.  Fazal  Ullah  had  read  somewhere 
of  the  usefulness,  to  lost  travelers,  of  being  able  to 
recognize  this  pivot  of  the  starry  sphere.  The  mode 
of  applying  this  bit  of  useful  information  w^as  di- 
vested of  its  mystery. 

When  I  retired  to  rest  in  the  little  thatched 
veranda,  with  its  grass  and  bamboo  mosaic  sloping 
over  my  couch,  I  was  annoyed  by  a  few  persistent 
mosquitoes,  that  buzzed  and  sung  in  nocturnal  orgies 
about  my  ears.  They  did  not  bite  much ;  but  the 
last  sound  of  Avhich  I  was  conscious  was  the  siz,  siz, 
uz,  uz,  iz,  iz,  iz,  of  the  little  tormentors,  as  they 
hovered  about  my  ears. 

March  13. — ^Was  up  early,  and  performed  my 
simple  toilet  in  the  court-yard.  The  "Great  Bear" 
had  swung  quite  round  the  sky,  and  was  fast  fading 
in  the  morning  twilight.  A  cup  of  tea  and  bit  of 
buttered  toast — my  only  food  till  ten  o'clock — were 
taken,  and  Ave  put  ofif-to  Beehara,  a  village  near  by. 
We  first  went  to  a  little  house  th^t  gleamed  with 
stucco,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  lines  of  mud 
huts  around  it.  It  was  a  native  sugar  factory.  As 
we  entered,  a  huge  yellow  dog  rolled  lazily  from  a 
round    cane    stool,    where    he    was    coiled    up,    and 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  273 

greeted  us  with  a  kind  face  and  a  friendly  wag  of 
his  tail.  I  gave  him  a  friendly  pat  in  return,  at 
which  the  natives  laughed,  and  the  dog  kept  close 
by  me  for  an  hour,  while  we  stayed  in  this  place. 
We  found  a  number  of  coolies  at  work  in  the  estab- 
lishment, which  is  the  property  of  six  brothers.  In 
making  the  sugar,  the  cane-juice  is  boiled  to  a  semi- 
granular  state,  and  then  put  into  small,  coarse, 
woolen  sacks  to  drain,  from  which  it  is  turned  out 
somewhat  dry.  In  the  hands  of  these  workmen  the 
process  is  by  no  means  a  remarkably  cleanly  one. 
We  found  that  the  proprietors  belong  to  a  sect  of 
Hindus  called  Kabeerpuntes,  from  the  name  of  Ka- 
beer,  a  sage  who  lived  in  the  beginning  of  the 
fifteenth,  century.  Although  he  lived  only  about 
four  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and  was  a  noted 
reformer,  yet  the  place  of  his  birth  is  involved  in 
obscurity.  He  is  claimed,  both  by  Hindus  and 
Mohammedans,  as  a  saint  of  their  calendar.  At  the 
place  where  he  was  buried,  two  rival  tombs  are 
erected,  one  by  the  Hindus  of  his  sect,  the  other  by 
Mohammedan  admirers.  That  he  was  a  man  of 
marked  ability,  is  witnessed  by  the  impression  he 
left  on  succeeding  generations.  He  discountenanced 
idolatry,  seeking  to  recall  his  countrymen  from  it. 

Some  of  his  sayings  are  remarkable  for  the 
striking  truth  inculcated.  For  example  :  '  *  He  who 
has  no  check  upon  his  tongue  has  no  truth  in  his 
heart.  Keep  him  not  company;  he  will  kill  you  on 
the  highway."  Again:  "When  the  master  is  blind, 
what  is  to  become  of  the  scholar?"  "When  the 
blind   lead  the  blind,  both  will   fall   into   the  well." 


2/4  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

These  sound  much  like  teachings  found  in  the  New 
Testament. 

The  tendency  of  his  teachings  was,  upon  the 
whole,  good.  He  is  claimed  by  his  followers  to  be 
a  divine  incarnation,  and  is  adored  in  prayer  and  the 
singing  of  hymns. 

Two  of  the  brothers  were  present.  They  con- 
ducted themselves  very  politely  toward  us,  bringing 
out  seats,  and  spreading  mats  for  our  comfort.  The 
huge  yellow  dog  kept  close  to  me  all  the  while, 
giving  me  now  and  then  a  heavy,  friendly  rub  from 
his  side,  which  called  out  invectives  of  disapproval 
from  his  master.  The  object  of  our  visit  was  di- 
vined, and  the  two  brothers,  in  a  smiling  and  most 
affable,  but  assured,  manner,  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  us,  taking  the  initiative  even,  by  becoming 
our  catechisers.  One  of  them  sat  down  before  me, 
and  composed  himself,  with  crossed  legs,  a  la  tailor, 
and,  with  an  emphasis  and  look  suggestive  of  diffi- 
culty, and  anticipatory  of  perplexity  on  my  part, 
asked  me  for  the  locality  of  heaven.  I  told  him 
that,  in  the  Christian  religion,  this  is  not  deemed  a 
question  of  prime  importance,  however  curious  it 
might  be,  and  that  generally  but  little  speculation  is 
indulged  about  it,  as  nothing  is  clearly  revealed.  I 
informed  him  that,  in  the  Christian  system,  the  first 
and  most  important  question  is,  how  may  we  be 
saved  from  sin  and  its  just  punishment.  A  little 
disconcerted,  but  not  diverted  from  his  object,  the 
fellow,  with  great  blandness,  suggested,  interrog- 
atively : 

"You  believe,  then,  in  a  heaven?" 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  275 

''O  yes." 

"Did  you  ever  see  it?" 

''No.      What  then?" 

"How  do  you  know  there  is  a  heaven?  Sight, 
in  the  matter  of  such  physical  reahties,  is  the  only 
complete  and  indisputable  proof." 

This  led  to  a  diversion  on  the  nature,  variety, 
and  strength  of  evidence.  I  illustrated  to  him  that 
the  existence  of  places  we  had  never  seen  might  be 
matter  of  perfect  assurance  to  us,  and  that,  in  the 
case  of  a  place  that  no  human  being  alive  pn  the 
earth  had  ever  seen,  certain  kinds  of  testimony  and 
proof  could  amount  to  a  moral  demonstration.  I 
then  turned  him  again  to  the  question  of  salvation 
from  sin,  as  all-important  to  us  now. 

The  other  brother,  who  had  been  stalking  about 
all  the  while  on  wooden  sandals,  touching  only  on 
the  heels  and  toes,  halted  near  by,  and  proposed  his 
theory  of  the  non-destruction  of  animal  life  as  the 
great  principle  by  which  purity  could  be  wrought  in 
the  soul.  Fazal  UUah  parenthetically  inquired  if  he 
wore  wooden  sandals  to  avoid  crushing  insects.  Many 
natives  do  this.  Others  continually  wear  a  cloth 
over  their  mouth  and  nose,  lest  they  may  inhale  and 
strangle  some  hapless  gnat,  which  would  be  worse 
than  to  be  strangled  by  it.  He  smiled,  and  said 
nothing  in  reply  to  the  inquiry.  I  then  explained 
to  him  the  weakness  and  extravagance  of  such  a 
theory,  and  applied  the  New  Testament  illustration 
of  "straining  out  a  gnat  and  swallowing  a  camel." 
But  little  account  is  taken  of  lying,  stealing,  de- 
bauchery; but  it  is  all-important  not  to  destroy  the 


276  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

life  of  an  ant  or  worm.  He  then  good-naturedly 
turned  the  conversation  back  to  heaven,  and,  with 
an  affected  air  of  mystery,  said  he  could  show  any 
one  heaven  who  would  take  on  him  the  Kabeer 
faith.  Five  days  would  initiate  one,  and  unfold  to 
him  the  heavenly  vision.  With  my  hand  and  head, 
in  native  style,  I  shook  an  emphatic  disbelief  in 
such  nonsense,  and  affirmed  that  the  man  who  dealt 
in  such  folly  was  a  deceiver.  Fazal  Ullah  toned 
down  the  bluntness  of  this  warm  denial  by  telling 
the  man  that  he  might  be  imposing  on  himself  and 
others  by  some  strange  fancies,  and  we  both  urged 
him  to  look  into  the  Gospel  system  and  learn  some- 
thing of  Jesus. 

About  a  score  of  men  heard  us  in  this  place. 
We  then  went  to  a  carpenter's  shop,  where  they 
said  we  would  get  many  hearers.  The  brothers 
smiled  us  out,  and  sent  a  boy  to  lead  the  way  to 
the  shop.  A  crowd  soon  came  up,  to  see  and  hear 
some  new  thing. 

In  a  familiar  talk,  I  tried  to  impress  them  with 
the  folly  of  idolatry,  and  particularly  of  bathing  in 
the  much-trusted  Ganges  for  the  expiation  of  sin. 
Christ-  was  held  up  as  an  all-sufficient  Savior  for 
every  man.  A  good  impression  seemed  to  be  made, 
to  the  apparent  annoyance  of  a  cross-looking  Brah- 
min, who  leaned  against  a  cart,  contemplating  me 
with  a  savage  frown.  Several  voices  murmured, 
*'We  will  not  go  to  the  Ganges  again." 

''Show  me  Christ,"  said  the  cross  Brahmin,  with 
a  triumphant  toss  of  his  head,  ''and  I  will  believe 
what  you  say." 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  277 

I  merely  kept  on  with  my  exhortation,  for  a 
time,  determined,  if  possible,  to  finish  my  point 
and  strengthen  the  impression.  Then,  turning  to 
the  Brahmin,  I  retorted: 

**Now,  you  show  me  Ram,  and  I  will  believe 
on  him." 

This  was  a  thrust  that  he  had  not  anticipated; 
and  he  squirmed,  and  tried  to  mutter  something, 
but  without  the  least  success.  Fazal  Ullah  then 
read  part  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  Matthew,  as  a 
specimen  of  the  beautiful  and  sublime  teachings 
of  our  book  of  faith.  Expressions  of  admiration 
were  called  forth.  As  we  left,  several  said,  * '  Come 
daily  and  teach  these  things,  and  we  will  thus  learn 
them." 

Alas!  there  is  a  great  harvest,  all  white,  while 
the  laborers  are  so  few!  We  look  out  on  the  vast 
plain,  stretching  hundreds  of  miles  away,  and  dotted 
with  thousands  of  villages.  In  how  few  of  them, 
then,  can  we  preach  the  word,  much  less  come 
"daily"  to  teach  them!  Down  the  future,  the  eye 
of  faith  turns  wearily,  trusting,  but  not  able  to  pen- 
etrate the  problem  of  how  these  millions  will  be 
sufficiently  instructed  in  Christ. 

At  midday,  a  couple  of  Mohammedans  paid  us  a 
visit,  from  a  neighboring  village.  One  of  them  was 
a  rotund,  portly  man,  with  a  genial  face,  and  much 
inclined  to  talk.  The  other  was  smaller,  quiet  in 
manner,  with  a  hard,  pock-marked  face,  from  which 
a  harsh,  frizzed  beard  stood  out,  parted  at  the  chin. 
After  some  general  talk,  I  urged  them  to  think 
more    of    the    condition    of    their   hearts,    and    seek 


2/8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

after  freedom  from  sin.  The  man  with  the  hard 
face  attempted  to  say  something  about  fate,  and  all 
these  matters  being  in  the  hand  of  God,  on  which  I 
made  some  remarks  about  human  freedom  and  re- 
sponsibility, to  which  no  effort  was  made  to  reply. 
A  word  ''in  season,"  mayhap,  was  spoken. 

In  the  evening,  went  with  Cyrus  and  Fazal  Ullah 
to  Untpore,  a  village  two  miles  distant.  The  sun, 
now  far  down  the  sky,  beamed  warmly  in  our  faces, 
over  the  ripening  fields.  Reaching  the  village,  went 
to  the  chaupal,  and,  calling  the  watchman,  had  him 
take  a  turn  in  the  village  and  notify  the  people. 
Two  fine-looking  fellows,  whose  naked  limbs  swelled 
and  waved  with  athletic  thews,  were  beating  out 
some  half-ripened  barley.  Each  had  bound  to  his 
right  arm,  above  the  elbow,  a  taiviz,  or  charm, 
which  is  simply  a  bit  of  metal,  with  some  letters  or 
words  engraved  on  it.  This  is  supposed  to  avert  all 
kinds  of  misfortunes.  Similar  charms  are  tied  on 
the  necks  of  goats  and  cattle,  for  the  same  purpose. 
Mohammedans  engrave  on  these  charms  words  from 
the  Koran,  just  as  the  Jews  attached  portions  of  the 
law  to  their  person.  These  stalwart  fellows  were 
beating  out  this  barley,  they  said,  to  stay  the  crav- 
ings of  hunger  these  hard  times.  The  half-ripened 
grain  is  parched  and  freed  from  its  chaff,  and  eaten 
thus  whole,  or  ground  and  made  into  a  coarse  bread. 
This  year,  the  new  crop  is  hardly  half-ripe,  until  the 
poor,  famine-pressed  wretches  have  pounced  upon  it. 

The  watchman  soon  had  a  good  crowd  collected. 
I  told  them  plainly  that  we  had  come  to  make,  if 
possible,  Christians  of  them  all,  and  then  explained, 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  2/9 

first,  what  it  is  to  be  a  Christian,  and  then  the  cere- 
mony by  which  persons  are  brought  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  how  they  are  expected  to  Hve  and 
act  when  in  it.  Several  voices,  in  concert,  acknowl- 
edged the  reasonableness  and  goodness  of  all  that 
was  said. 

''Come,  then,"  said  I,  "and  let  us  build  a  tem- 
ple in  your  village  for  God,  and  for  Christ,  his  true 
incarnation." 

I  explained  to  them  how  six  days  would  be 
spent  in  work,  and  the  seventh  devoted  to  rest 
and  special  religious  worship.  A  serious  impres- 
sion seemed  to  be  made.  Fazal  UUah  then  added 
some  very  sensible  and  appropriate  remarks,  after 
which  we  started  back  to  our  village. 

As  we  passed  through  the  narrow,  winding  street, 
in  one  place,  a  villager  called  after  Cyrus,  ' '  Will  you 
smoke  the  cJiillamT'  (bowl  of  the  pipe.)  This  was 
a  noteworthy  mark  of  friendliness  to  the  Christian 
teacher;  for  natives  usually,  in  these  villages,  have  a 
great  antipathy  to  even  touching  any  thing  belong- 
ing to  a  Christian.  Where  natives  are  of  different 
castes,  but  are  friendly,  they  take  off  the  earthen 
bowl  of  the  pipe,  and  smoke  it  through  their  hands. 

Just  as  we  emerged  from  the  village,  a  miserable 
little  boy,  stark  naked,  and  reduced  quite  to  a  skel- 
eton, came  walking  in  from  the  fields,  with  a  bunch 
of  green  pulse,  plucked  from  some  field,  in  his  hand, 
picking  away  at  it  with  the  avidity  of  starvation. 
His  limbs  were  wasted  till  there  was  little  more 
left  than  skin  and  bone,  while  his  abdomen  was  dis- 
tended  to   an   unsightly  size,   from   gorging   food   fit 


280  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

only  for  a  ruminant  animal.  We  halted  the  little 
fellow,  and  ascertained  that  his  mother  Avas  a  poor 
widow,  with  other  starving  children  to  feed,  and 
earning  only  two  or  three  pice'^  a  day  as  a  cooly. 
While  this  investigation  was  going  on,  the  starving 
boy,  fearing  something  sinister  in  all  this,  scampered 
away.  The  villagers  brought  him  back  to  receive  a 
rupee  (half-dollar)  that  I  held  out  for  him.  They 
told  him  to  take  it  to  his  mother,  to  buy  some 
grain.  The  little  fellow  dropped  the  bunch  of  green 
pulse,  seized  his  prize,  and,  with  a  happy  grin,  put 
off,  with  a  crowd,  to  tell  his  mother. 

As  we  kept  on  to  Aligunge,  darkness  gathered 
over  village  and  field.  The  stars  came  out,  and 
beamed  mildly  down  from  a  serene  sky.  Our  day's 
work  was  over;  and  a  sense  of  having  earnestly 
striven  to  do  the  Savior's  will,  brought  serenity  to 
the  sky  of  my  soul. 

Sunday,  MaixJi  14. — In  the  morning,  in  company 
with  Cyrus  and  Fazal  Ullah,  crossed  the  fields  to 
Parea,  inhabited  by  aheei's,  or  cow-herds;  but  this 
caste  do  not  necessarily  all  look  after  and  deal  in 
cows.  Many  of  them  are  cultivators.  We  found  a 
grim,  withered  old  man,  seated  on  a  cot,  by  a  wall, 
sunning  himself;  and  we  fixed  on  him  as  the  nu- 
cleus of  a  morning  congregation,  knowing  that 
others  would  soon  gather  about  us.  The  old  man 
turned  out  to  be  quite  deaf;  so  he  did  not  prove  a 
very  promising  subject  for  our  message;  but  others 
soon  came  up. 

Fazal  Ullah   began   by  asking   them  whom   they 

"*The  jbice  is  something  less  than  a  cent. 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  28 1 

were  in  the  habit  of  worshiping.  Several  answered, 
giving  the  names  of  some  demons  and  divinities.  It 
was  asked: 

'*Do  you  obtain  salvation  from  these?" 

**Who  knows,"  quickly  replied  some  one, 
** whether  he  is  saved  or  not?" 

This  led  to  a  discussion  on  the  real  nature  of  sin. 
It  is  not  a  thing  that  adheres  externally  to  the  skin. 
Hence  the  folly  of  mere  bathing  to  wash  it  away. 
He  then  described  how,  instead  of  becoming  pure  by 
bathing  in  the  Ganges,  many  contract  sin  there  rather. 
Hundreds  go  simply  to  see  the  spectacle  of  naked 
women  as  they  bathe,  while  many  shameless  women, 
too,  expose  themselves  on  purpose. 

There  seemed  to  be  something  in  these  plain 
statements  that  gravely  impressed  the  listeners. 
They  seemed  never  before  to  have  thought  of  the 
intrinsic  worthlessness  of  this  ceremony,  and  the 
shameful  abuse  to  which  it  leads,  instead  of  beget- 
ting purity.  One  gray-haired  old  fellow,  with  an 
immense  grizzly  mustache,  sat  all  the  time,  listening 
with  great  attention,  puffing  anon  at  his  long  pipe. 
He  proved  to  be  the  head  man  of  the  village.  Near 
by  was  a  well,  at  which  women  came  to  draw  water. 
I  observed  one  rather  old  woman  remain  listening- 
for  a  long  time,  dallying  aU  the  while  with  her  rope 
in  the  well,  ostensibly  drawing  water.  Mouth,  as 
well  as  ears,  was  open,  revealing  one  huge  tooth, 
which,  surviving  the  ravages  of  time,  glistened  white 
enough  in  the  setting  of  her  sable  face.  It  is  a  rare 
thing  to  see  a  native  with  bad  teeth.  As  a  rule,  to 
old   age   the  teeth  remain  full  in  number,  and  unde- 

24 


282  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

cayed.  The  warm  and  hot  drinks  of  most  European 
countries  injure  and  destroy  the  teeth.  Natives  do 
not  drink  when  they  eat,  except  it  may  be  a  httle 
cold  water  at  the  close  of  the  meal.  We  have  good 
eyes  and  bad  teeth;  the  natives  have  bad  eyes  and 
good  teeth.     This  climate  is  very  hard  on  eyes. 

We  urged  the  helplessness  of  the  gods  and 
demons  to  save  from  sin.  I  insisted  that  Jesus  can 
so  save  the  soul  from  sin,  bring  it  such  a  real  salva- 
tion, that  it  may  be  experienced  and  perfectly  known 
as  a  fact.  This  seemed  to  strike  the  hearers  as  a 
great  mystery,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  any  one  was 
inclined  to  think  it  credible. 

As  we  returned  across  the  fields,  Cyrus  told  me 
that  this  village  has  a  very  bad  reputation  for  steal- 
ing and  robbing.  He  mentioned  that,  not  long  ago, 
a  lahree,  or  native  carriage,  passing  near  this  village 
at  night,  was  attacked  and  robbed,  and  the  orna- 
ments stripped  from  a  woman  who  was  riding  in  it. 
Two  men  were  also  robbed  and  killed  one  night,  not 
far  from  here.  British  law  has  done  much  to  sup- 
press theft  and  robbery  here;  yet,  where  the  mass 
of  the  people  are  depraved  and  indifferent  to  the 
rights  of  each  other,  it  is  impossible  for  a  few  rulers 
to  establish  justice  and  security  to  life  and  property. 
One  needs  only  live  in  a  country  like  India  to  be 
practically  impressed  with  the  vast  superiority  of 
Christian  countries  over  heathen  and  Mohammedan 
countries,  like  India. 

The  native  helpers  affirm,  and  my  own  observa- 
tion confirms  it,  that  those  who  act  as  watchmen  in 
the  villages  are  themselves  almost  invariably  thieves 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  283 

or  the  abettors  of  thieves.  Set  to  guard  the  village 
and  watch  against  thieves,  they  collude  with  the 
thieves  of  their  own  village,  and  facilitate  their  noc- 
turnal depredations.  An  instance  of  this  was  men- 
tioned in  the  case  of  the  chankidar  (watchman)  of  a 
village  near  Budaon.  The  watchman  entered  an  old 
woman's  house  in  company  with  another  thief,  and, 
while  they  were  trying  to  make  way  with  some 
property,  she  awoke,  and  boldly  seized  the  watch- 
man and  raised  the  alarm.  He  wrested  himself 
away,  but,  in  the  struggle  and  haste  to  escape,  lost 
his  long  bamboo  club,  a  weapon  carried  by  almost 
every  common  native.  The  old  woman  recognized 
his  club,  and  carried  it  to  the  chief  zemindar,  or 
head  man  of  the  village.  Without  any  difficulty, 
the  burglar  was  made  out  to  be  the  watchman  him- 
self; and  then,  what  did  the  zemindar  do  but  hush 
the  whole  affair  up,  and  keep  it  from  the  ear  of 
justice.  Another  instance  was  mentioned  of  some 
natives  in  the  same  village,  who,  in  collusion  with 
the  watchman,  no  doubt,  stole  a  large  quantity  of 
sugar  from  a  shop  at  night,  and  were  detected  in 
the  act  of  secreting  ^t.  The  leading  village  landlord, 
in  this  instance  also,  screened  the  parties  as  far  as 
he  could,  letting  justice  fall  on  an  unimportant  ac- 
complice, but  saving  the  real  offenders  from  punish- 
ment. Still  another  instance  was  mentioned  as 
taking  place  in  the  same  village,  which  is  but  a 
sample  of  all  villages.  A  common  custom,  with 
natives,  is  to  hide  their  money  in  the  earth.  They 
bury  it  somewhere  about  the  earthen  floor,  or  in  the 
fields    or    by    the    road,    somewhere,    as    a    greater 


284  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

security  from  thieves  and  fire.  They  hide  it  just  in 
the  way  the  unfaithful  servant  in  the  Lord's  Parable 
did.  Now,  in  this  village,  a  shopkeeper  had  col- 
lected, in  silver,  about  fifty  dollars,  and  for  security 
had  hidden  it  beneath  the  earthen  floor  of  his  house. 
The  place  of  concealment  became  known,  in  some 
way,  to  his  sister-in-law,  who  discovered  the  ''hidden 
treasure"  to  the  village  watchman's  brother.  The 
two  managed  to  extract  it  from  its  place  of  conceal- 
ment, the  sister-in-law  coming  in  for  a  small  share 
of  booty.  The  theft  and  the  thieves  were  in  a  short 
time  discovered;  but,  instead  of  being  punished,  as 
they  richly  deserved,  part  of  the  money  was  restored, 
the  whole  affair  was  compromised  and  hushed  up  in 
some  way.  In  a  week  or  two  after,  the  leading 
zemindar's  son,  in  company  with  the  watchman, 
broke  open  that  house  again,  hoping  to  find  money 
secreted  in  the  same  place.  They  dug  in  vain, 
however,  and  were  discovered  in  the  house,  and  at- 
tacked, for  their  pains,  by  the  annoyed  shopkeeper. 
The  zemindar's  son  lost  his  turban  in  making  his 
escape,  and,  with  this  evidence  of  the  burglarious 
attempt,  he  was  confronted  and  convicted.  But  the 
wretched  villagers,  by  general  consent,  again  hushed 
this  matter  up,  thus  winking  at  crime,  to  the  defeat 
of  law  and  order. 

A  more  striking  instance  still  occurred  in  the 
same  village.  A  native  of  an  adjoining  village  was 
cutting  grass  in  the  outskirts  of  this  one,  when  a 
fellow  attempted  to  drive  him  off,  claiming  that  he 
was  trespassing.  A  quarrel  ensued,  in  which  the 
intruder    from     the     other    village     maintained    his 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  285 

ground,  and  went  on  cutting  grass.  The  other, 
enraged  at  his  persistence,  quietly  went  to  his  own 
house,  and  brought  out  a  long,  heavy,  bamboo  club, 
and,  going  back  to  the  place,  deliberately  walked  up 
behind  his  opponent,  who,  busy  cutting  away,  did 
not  observe  his  stealthy,  murderous  approach,  and, 
with  one  heavy  sweep  of  the  club,  smashed  in  his 
skull,  and  left  him  dead  in  an  instant.  The  act  and 
the  murderer  were  soon  known  to  the  watchman 
and  the  whole  village.  The  act  itself  could  not  be 
concealed;  but  when  the  English  magistrate  tried  to 
discover  the  murderer,  so  completely  did  the  vil- 
lagers unite  to  deceive  him  that  he  failed  in  the 
attempt.  I  remember  the  investigation,  and  what 
mystery  hung  round  the  murder  of  the  man  found 
lying  in  the  field  with  his  head  crushed  in.  That 
mystery  was  cleared  up  for  me  by  one  of  those  vil- 
lagers who  afterward  became  a  Christian. 

Thus,  the  natives  themselves  are  enemies  to  jus- 
tice, and  strangely  unite  to  conceal  and  perpetrate 
the  very  crimes  from  which  they  suffer.  They 
frankly  acknowledge  the  justice  and  propriety  of  the 
laws  established  for  the  suppression  of  crime  and 
disorder;  but,  from  wicked  and  depraved  instincts, 
do  not  co-operate  in  their  execution,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  obstruct  them.  British  law,  in  India,  is 
centuries  in  advance  of  the  moral  and  social  con- 
dition of  this  people.  Still,  it  is  a  grand  school 
for  their  rapid  reduction  to  a  purer  and  better  civ- 
ilization. 

A  short  time  after  we  reached  our  stopping- 
place,  the  Brahmin,  who  visited  me  the  day  I  came 


286  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

here,  called  on  Fazal  Ullah,  and  had  a  long  talk 
with  him  about  the  new  religion.  He  took  a  more 
antagonistic  position  than  before  me,  saying  that  he 
would  believe  our  religion  when  we  could  bring 
down  the  sun,  and  lay  it  before  him  on  the  ground. 
He  affirmed  that,  formerly,  Brahmins  could  do  this. 
Fazal  Ullah  objected  to  such  a  mode  of  testing 
truth,  and  illustrated  the  absurdity  of  his  -story  by 
asking  how  it  looked  to  talk  of  laying  a  ghara 
(large  round  earthen  vessel)  on  a  pea.  Such,  he 
showed  to  the  astonished  Brahmin,  are  the  relative 
sizes  of  the  earth,  on  which  his  miracle-workers 
stood,  and  of  the  sun  laid  upon  it.  Perhaps  the 
Brahmin  went  away  with  a  new  idea  in  his  head. 

In  .the  afternoon,  old  Ghasi,  a  native  peddler, 
came  up  v/ith  a  bundle  on  his  back,  while  two 
coolies,  heavily  laden,  trudged  behind  him.  These 
native  peddlers  are  most  useful  fellows  to  many  of 
the  English  residents  of  India.  -They  carry  about 
all  kinds  of  little  English  articles,  constantly  needed, 
but  not  obtainable  in  every  place,  and  often  sell 
them,  in  some  way,  much  cheaper  than  they  can  be 
obtained  at  an  English  shop.  Ghasi  made  his 
salam,  and  asked,  with  the  true  peddler  ring,  if  I 
wished  to  buy  any  thing. 

In  the  evening,  we  visited  a  large  village  called 
Gynee,  where  it  was  bazaar  or  market  day.  After 
a  turn  through  the  crowd  of  buyers  and  sellers,  we 
ascended  a  small  knoll  on  the  left  of  the  crowd,  and 
secured  a  position  for  preaching.  I  explained  the 
Savior's  discourse  about  eating  with  unwashed  hands, 
trying   to    impress   upon    the    hearers    that    external 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  .      287. 

purity,  consisting  in  certain  ablutions  and  ceremonial 
observances  about  food,  is  not  real  purity.  I  tried 
to  expose  the  superficial  purity  of  the  Hindus,  and 
lead  them  to  seek  for  a  purity  of  the  heart.  All 
listened  attentively. 

Meanwhile,  a  Mohammedan  school-teacher  pushed 
himself  impudently  to  the  front,  and  listened,  for  a 
time,  in  uneasy  silence.  At  last,  he  impertinently 
began  to  fling  in  objections,  and  call  off  the  at- 
tention of  the  crowd.  He  asked  attention  to  the 
apparent  discrepancy  in  St.  Matthew's  statement  of 
the  last  division  of  the  genealogical  table,  pointing 
out  only  thirteen  generations,  where  fourteen  are 
claimed.  This  was  a  proof  of  corruption  and  uncer- 
tainty in  the  Gospels.  Objection  was  made  to  Paul's 
teaching  that  the  Mosaic  dispensation  was  not  per- 
fect. Paul,  he  urged,  was  in  conflict  Avith  Moses, 
the  great  laAvgiver  and  prophet,  and  could  not  be 
trusted.  Paul's  meaning  was  explained;  but,  before 
a  word  could  be  said  in  behalf  of  the  genealogical 
table,  he  demanded  why  I  had  affirmed  that  no 
one  could  save  but  Christ.  He  referred  me  to  the 
success  of  Moses  in  interceding  for  the  Israelites, 
when  they  had  incurred  the  sore  displeasure  of  the 
Almighty  at  the  foot  of  Sinai.  I  explained  the  rela- 
tion of  Moses  himself  to  Christ,  and  tried  to  show 
him  the  vast  difference  between  a  prevailing  prayer 
like  this,  and  a  work  of  redemption,  like  that  under- 
taken by  Christ,  but,  I  fear,  with  but  little  impres- 
sion on  this  ranting  fellow's  mind;  for  he  still,  with 
a  blatant  flourish,  demanded  in  what  Christ  was  bet- 
ter than  Moses. 


288  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  lamented  Dr.  Pfander  held 
a  discussion  with  a  Mohammedan  doctor  in  Agra. 
This  led  to  the  publication  of  books  from  both 
sides.  A  large  volume  was  issued  by  the  Moham- 
medans, containing  all  kinds  of  objections  to  modern 
Christianity  and  the  present  sacred  Scriptures.  Ob- 
scure and  difficult  passages,  and  apparent  contradic- 
tions, are  urged  as  evidence  of  the  untrustworthiness 
of  the  present  Scriptures.  It  requires  patience  and 
a  good  exegetical  knowledge  of  the  Bible  to  meet 
these  objections  promptly.  This  book,  called  "  Istif- 
sar,"  or  "Investigations,"  is  the  fountain  from  which 
almost  all  the  Mohammedans,  in  this  part  of  India, 
draw  their  objections. 

Darkness  was  setting  in,  and  a  portentous  yellow 
cloud  was  swelling  up,  with  awful  grandeur,  higher 
and  wider  in  the  somber  west.  The  fitful  wind  that 
precedes  a  dust-storm  already  began  to  stir  the  sul- 
try air.  We  hastened,  for  shelter,  to  a  police-house 
near  by.  Standing  at  the  door,  we  looked  back  at 
the  lurid,  tempest-charged  expanse  that  rolled  toward 
us,  enveloping  the  wide  plain  and  darkening  half  the 
heavens,  and  illumined  anon  with  vivid  gleams  and 
frenzied  streaks  of  lightning  that  pla}'ed  through  it. 
At  last,  the  advancing  eddies  of  the  moving  storm 
began  to  stir  the  leaves  and  dust  at  our  feet;  and 
then  came  the  sudden  rush  of  mighty  wind,  as  it 
broke  over  us.  The  stifling  air  was  filled  with  dust 
and  flying  twigs  and  leaves,  as  it  raved  and  whistled 
around  our  shelter.  A  few  sharp  peals  of  thunder, 
and  then  came  a  heavy  shower  of  driving  rain,  min- 
gled with  great  hailstones,  which  rattled  and  bounded 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  289 

from  the  vaulted  brick  roof  of  the  well-built  police- 
house.  The  shower  of  hail  was  something  wonderful. 
The  ground  was  soon  white  with  the  stones,  numbers 
of  which  were  as  large  as  walnuts.  Two  hours  after, 
they  had  not  completely  dissolved. 

These  dust-storms  are  not  generally  accompanied 
with  rain.  Often,  they  are  terrific  and  awe-inspir- 
ing. A  vast,  lurid  cloud  rolls  up  rapidly,  darkening 
the  entire  heavens;  animals  run  wildly  about;  birds 
wheel  into  the  troubled  air;  the  wind  sweeps  by 
with  a  confused  roar;  the  darkened  atmosphere  be- 
comes filled  with  penetrating  dust.  Sometimes  the 
dust-storm  sweeps  down,  with  scarcely  a  moment's 
warning,  and  the  darkness  of  night  settles  over  earth 
and  sky. 

When  this  storm  was  spent,  we  stepped  forth 
from  our  secure  shelter.  All  nature  seemed  re- 
freshed. The  air  was  delightfully  cool  and  balmy. 
It  was  night;  and  we  went  back  to  our  lodgings, 
over  the  now  muddy  road,  which  was  still  jeweled 
with  the  white  hailstones. 

March  15. — Early  in  the  morning,  we  started 
across  the  fields  to  a  small  village  called  Amroli. 
Placid  pools  of  water  lay  about  the  fields  that  only 
yesterday  were  parched  and  dusty.  Cyrus  accompa- 
nied us,  for  a  short  distance,  to  show  us  the  nearest 
foot-path  across  the  fields  of  standing  grain.  He 
pointed  out  a  spot,  marked  by  the  stumps  of  small 
trees,  where,  a  few  months  ago,  a  gang  of  gamblers 
had  a  lair.  Gambling  is  forbidden  by  British  law, 
such  an  institution  of  robbery  and  ruin  had  it  be- 
come  among   the   people.      It   was   found   that   this 

25 


290  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

thick  clump  of  low  trees  had  become  the  resort  of  a 
band  of  gamblers,  where,  in  concealment,  they  could 
carry  on  their  rascally  game.  The  place  was  cut 
down,  and  the  resort  destroyed.  The  natives  gen- 
erally gamble  by  some  rather  simple  game,  played 
Avith  small  cowries.  They  also  gamble  by  throwing 
down  coins,  upon  which  flies  may  alight,  this  deter- 
mining the  game  in  some  way.  They  stake  money, 
and  often  ruin  one  another.  Cyrus  mentioned  in- 
stances where  even  wives  were  staked  and  lost. 
The  passion  for  gambling,  among  the  natives,  is 
something  wonderful.  Cyrus,  having  pointed  out 
our  village,  across  the  level  fields,  returned  to  his 
school. 

We  found  Amroli  to  be  a  dirty  village,  with 
tattered  thatches,  and  skirted  with  conical  piles  of 
cow-dung  fuel.  We  hailed  some  men  in  a  mustard- 
seed  threshing-floor,  and  invited  them  to  an  inter- 
view at  the  chaupal.  Mustard  is  raised  in  large 
quantities,  for  the  oil  yielded  from  the  seed.  The 
oil  is  used  both  in  food  and  for  light.  We  found  a 
few  loungers  already  at  the  chaupal,  and  the  watch- 
man soon  called  up  others,  so  that  a  congregation 
was  found.  Some  of  them  frankly  told  us  that  they 
do  not  now  worship  the  village  gods.  All  were 
urged  to  accept  Christ  as  the  true  Savior  from  sin. 
Some  one  put  in: 

**The  English  have  begun  to  lie." 

"In  what?" 

"They  formerly  settled  but  eight  anas  (twenty- 
five  cents)  a  biga  on  our  land,  and  are  now  demanding 
more." 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  29I 

I  explained  to  them  that  the  value  of  land  had 
increased,  which  justified  an  increase  of  tax.  This 
seemed  to  be  satisfactory,  as  far  as  Caesar  was  con- 
cerned, and  we  tried  again  to  turn  their  thoughts  to 
God  and  salvation  in  Christ.  Some  one  again  inter- 
rupted, by  suggesting  that  the  belly  was  chargeable 
with  all  their  lying;  in  its  behalf  all  their  duplicity 
and  falsehood  originate.  The  fallacy  of  this  apology 
for  sin,  in  his  ungracious  insinuation  touching  the 
abdominal  viscera,  was  exposed,  and  it  was  insisted 
on  that  * 'honesty  is  the  best  policy."  This  was 
illustrated  by  a  shopkeeper,  who  would  certainly 
obtain,  in  time,  a  large  and  profitable  patronage,  if 
he  would  deal  fairly.  Natives  often  defend  their 
lying  and  rascality  on  the  score  of  necessity.  They 
affirm,  in  all  apparent  sincerity,  that  they  could  not 
make  a  living  in  an  honest  way — hence,  do  not  pre- 
tend to  have  the  slightest  regard  for  truth  or  fair- 
ness in  their  dealing. 

Fazal  Ullah  spoke  for  a  time,  and  in  some  way 
was  led  into  an  amusing  exposure  of  the  sham  rev- 
erence of  the  Hindu  for  the  cow.  There  is  a  saying 
among  the  Brahmins  that  the  cow  should  be  regarded 
as  one's  mother.  Said  Fazal  Ullah:  *'The  cow  is, 
really,  simply  an  animal;  but  while  you  claim  that 
it  is  more,  and  should  be  treated  as  one's  mother, 
how  do  you  treat  this  two -horned,  four -legged 
mother?  You  often  belabor  this  mother  with  a 
club;  and  when  she  dies,  poor  thing!  you  drag  her 
to  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  tear  off  her  skin  for 
the  shoemakers,  and  leave  her  to  be  pecked  at  by 
crows,    torn    by   vultures,    and    gnawed    by   snarling 


292  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

dogs.  And  if  the  cow  is  your  mother,  you  ought 
to  deem  the  ox  your  brother.  Now,  come,  take 
your  turn  in  the  yoke  sometimes  with  your  brother. 
You  see  the  nonsense  of  the  Brahmins  in  all  this." 
He  then  dwelt  on  the  moral  character  of  their  so- 
called  incarnations.  He  referred  to  the  licentious 
love  of  Krishna,  the  eighth  incarnation,  with  the 
cowherdesses  of  the  country  where  he  is  said  to 
have  figured.  They  were  then  asked  if  they  could 
trust  such  an  incarnation  as  that  for  purity  and  sal- 
vation. Several  persons  replied,  "No!"  with  a 
laugh  of  derision.  He  then  read  Christ's  denuncia- 
tion of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  for  shutting  up 
the  kingdom  against  seekers,  and  applied  it  to  the 
Hindu  and  Mohammedan  teachers,  and  warned  the 
hearers  not  to  be  misled  by  them. 

It  was  bazaar  day  in  the  village  where  we  were 
stopping;  and  in  the  evening  we  v\^ent  where  the 
crowd  was  assembled,  and,  standing  on  the  side  of 
the  narrow  street,  addressed  a  large  audience.  They 
listened,  for  a  time,  with  great  attention.  At  last, 
a  little,  gray-haired,  asthmatic  old  man,  who  had 
given  good  attention  broke  in  with  an  incoherent 
harangue  about  the  delusion  of  all  things  visible.  He 
accompanied  his  piping  tones  with  wild,  spasmodic 
gesticulations,  quite  exciting  one's  **risibles. " 

"Only  show  me,"  he  said,  "how  to  escape  the 
delusion  that  worries  and  wearies  me  from  day  to 
day  in  supplying  food  and  clothing  for  my  family." 

He  then  went  on  to  give  us  quite  an  exposition 
of  idealism  and  pantheism,  showing  what  a  trackless 
ocean  of  speculation  and  conjecture  he  was  sailing  in. 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  293 

The  sad  results  of  a  bad  doctrine  can  be  seen  in 
a  very  marked  manner  here.  This  delusive  notion, 
that  every  thing  is  but  a  manifestation  of  God's 
boundless,  multiform  being,  undermines  all  correct 
ideas  of  virtue  and  moral  responsibility.  Sin  and 
virtue  are  alike  unreal ;  and  motives  for  avoiding  the 
one  and  striving  after  the  other  are  rendered  almost 
powerless.  The  instincts  of  human  nature  generally 
assert  themselves  sufficiently  to  prevent  the  full  con- 
sequences of  the  doctrine ;  otherwise,  it  would  work 
much  sadder  havoc  in  human  life.  Thousands  w^ould, 
by  violent  hands,  seek  to  break  the  painful  dream, 
and  throw  off  the  incubus  of  this  mortal  life.  As  it 
is,  such  a  course  is  not  unfrequently  taken  here, 
rather  than  continue  to  dream  on  the  same  w^eary 
dream. 

I  told  the  gray  little  man  that  Christ  could  break 
the  dream  for  him,  and  lead  him  into  real  life.  He 
reflected  for  a  moment,  and  then,  with  a  half-believ- 
ing, half-incredulous  shake  of  the  head,  turned,  and 
pressed  his  way  out  through  the  crowd. 

Just  then  a  haggard  Mohammedan  fakeer,  with  a 
coarse  blanket  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  and  a  very 
prominent,  comic-looking  chin,  stepped  forward,  and 
said  he  had  a  ** petition  to  make" — the  native  idiom 
for  a  request  to  say  something.  He  was  politely 
told  to  speak  on;  and  then  followed  the  most  irrel- 
evant, incoherent  jumble  of  sentences  I  ever  heard 
any  sane  man  attempt  to  utter,  accompanied  by 
awkward  gesticulation  that  would  have  done  credit 
to  a  harlequin.  And  yet  the  man  was  not  insane, 
as  was  plain  to  be  seen.      Despairing  of  getting  any 


294  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

clear  conception  of  this  evolution  of  heterogeneous 
ideas,  I  turned  to  the  native  helpers;  but  they  were 
equally  at  a  loss  to  know  at  what  the  grotesque 
ascetic  was  aiming.  He  was  requested  to  stop,  as 
we  could  not  make  out  his  meaning,  and,  apparently 
not  quite  assured  that  he  had  any,  he  turned  away, 
looking  somewhat  confused. 

March  i6.  —  Early  in  the  morning,  we  went  to 
Bachera.  It  rained  again  in  the  night,  and  the  fields 
were  thoroughly  watered,  to  the  great  benefit  of 
sugar-cane  and  vegetables — however,  not  benefiting 
the  now  ripened  wheat  and  barley.  We  soon  called 
up  a  large  crowd  to  the  chaupal.  Some  one  made 
a  remark  about  the  recent  fall  of  rain  and  hail,  on 
which  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  the  causes  by  which 
rain  and  hail  are  produced.  He  then  gave  the 
common  Hindu  theory,  which  is  that  the  clouds  are 
a  kind  of  spongy  animals,  that  visit  the  ocean  and 
fill  themselves  with  Avater,  which  they  carry  away 
and  sprinkle  over  the  earth.  The  hailstones,  he 
supposed,  are  obtained  in  the  same  place,  and  scat- 
tered down  when  it  is  the  pleasure  of  the  strange 
aerial  carriers.  I  explained  the  true  theory;  but  a 
pock-marked  fellow,  with  a  light  cap  pulled  over  his 
close-shaven  head,  and  a  dirty  blanket  thrown  around 
his  shoulders  and  tucked  under  his  arm,  objected  to 
it  as  not  satisfactory  to  his  mind.  Further  explana- 
tion did  not  seem  to  enlighten  his  reason  much ;  but 
yet  increased  his  faith  in  the  true  theory.  He  arro- 
gated to  himself  the  part  of  spokesman  for  the  day, 
and  asked  various  questions  as  I  went  on  to  present 
the  Gospel  message. 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE. 


295 


I  urged  the  practicability  of  their  abandonment 
of  idolatry,  by  citing  the  example  of  Europe. 

To  our  invitation  to  accept  Christianity,  natives 
often  reply  that  their  abandonment  of  the  religion 
and  altars  of  their  fathers  for  a  new  religion,  even  if 
better  than  their  own,  is  something  not  to  be  thought 
of  God  made  their  religion,  they  say,  for  them, 
and  for  ages  illimitable  it  has  come  down  through 
the  passing  generations. 

I  explained  to  the  hearers  how,  formerly,  the 
people  of  Europe  were  gross  idolaters,  tortured  by 
superstitions,  and  accustomed  to  offer  human  sacri- 
fices ;  how  they  were  then  vagrant  and  depraved  and 
ignorant;  how  Christianity  had  elevated,  refined,  and 
humanized  them.  I  insisted  that  they  also  could 
change  their  religion  for  Christianity. 

The  spokesman  of  the  shaved  head  and  pitted 
face  here  put  in  that,  since  Christianity  and  the 
English  government  have  come  to  this  country,  the 
price  of  every  thing  has  greatly  risen,  and  now  all 
are  obliged  to  labor.  Formerly,  the  labor  of  one 
man  supported  ten — one  worked,  and  the  others 
could  sit  at  ease  (the  native  idea  of  happiness). 
We  here  had  a  little  diversion  on  political  economy, 
in  which  I  tried  to  make  plain  the  idea  that  cheap- 
ness of  provisions  is  no  evidence  of  prosperity,  nor 
idleness  of  happiness.  I  referred  to  the  fact  that, 
formerly,  a  sparser  population  lived  partly  off  the 
wild  productions  of  forest  and  field;  and  that  while, 
of  the  ten,  one  man  was  working,  the  nine,  who  sat 
still  in  the  day-time,  went  abroad  pillaging  and 
marauding  at  night.      I   referred   him  to  the  walled 


296  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

towns,  of  former  times,  as  evidence  of  these 
facts. 

"But,"  said  the  fellow,  **the  government  eats 
us  up." 

I  explained  that  government  expends  all  its  rev- 
enue for  their  good,  in  public  improvements. 

Little  by  little,  some  rays  of  intellectual  and 
religious  light  penetrated  their  minds;  and,  as  we 
left,  several  voices  said,  **Come  and  teach  us  for  a 
month,  and  we  will  comprehend  the  whole  matter." 
One  man,  who  had  heard  us  in  the  bazaar  at  Gynee, 
came  up,  and  asked  further  explanation  about  the 
matter  of  eating  Avith  "unwashed  hands;"  and,  on 
rehearsal,  understood  the  discourse  better. 

From  the  chaupal  Ave  passed  to  the  sugar  fac- 
tory. One  of  the  factory  men  had  come  up  just  as 
we  closed,  and,  smiling  with  the  same  inimitable 
blandness,  Avalked  Avith  us  to  his  place.  As  Ave 
passed  a  small  pond  Avhere  some  SAvine  Avere  feeding, 
Fazal  Ullah,  Avith  his  Mohammedan  instinct  of  hatred 
to  this  filthy  animal — more  filthy,  if  possible,  in 
India  than  elscAvhere — asked  me  some  question 
about  the  hog.  He  remarked  that  he  had  heard 
that  a  hog  could  not  be  skinned,  and  asked  some- 
thing about  the  quality  of  its  abominable  flesh, 
knoAving  that  Christians  devour  it.  Our  placid 
Hindu  friend — the  most  vital  and  fundamental  point 
in  Avhose  creed  is  not  to  eat  any  kind  of  flesh — here 
put  in  his  protest  against  animal  diet,  on  religious 
grounds.  I  asked  him  if  his  objection  was  based  on 
a  radical  difference  in  animal  and  vegetable  sub- 
stances,    rendering    one    fit    and    the    other    unfit, 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  297 

morally,  for  food.  He  claimed  such  a  difference, 
but  was  somewhat  nonplused  when  I  w^ent  on  to 
show  him  that  the  identical  constituent  matter  of 
flesh  could  be  extracted  from  grain,  and  vice  versa ; 
and  that  it  remains,  then,  simply  a  question  as  to 
the  most  convenient  and  available  form  of  securing 
this  matter  as  food. 

Having  reached  the  sugar  factory,  we  sat  down 
in  the  long  veranda  running  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing— I,  on  a  cot;  the  others,  cross-legged,  on  a 
palm-leaf  mat.  An  older  brother,  with  a  low  bow, 
seated  himself  near  me  on  the  mat,  and,  with  his 
head  slightly  to  one  side,  fixed  his  eyes  on  the 
floor,  with  an  air  of  profound  penetration.  He 
was  anticipating  some  religious  conversation,  and 
was  prepared  to  enter  upon  it  in  a  way  worthy  of 
his  creed.  I  asked  him  to  state  his  belief  in  relig- 
ious matters,  that  I  might  understand  his  position. 
He  was  disposed  to  talk,  but  refused  to  use  any 
name  for  the  Divine  Being,  or  even  to  use  the  name 
of  the  founder  of  his  sect.  The  using  of  names,  he 
intimated,  would  materialize  pure  truth.  He  dis- 
played some  vanity  in  attempting  to  throw  an  air 
of  mysteriousness  around  his  conversation.  The 
heaven  question  came  up  again,  the  man  affirming 
that  heaven  can  be  seen  in  this  life  by  the  duly 
initiated.  He  persisted  in  saying,  that,  until  we 
could  give  him  a  sight  of  heaven  in  connection  with 
our  teaching,  he  would  not  accept  it.  In  as  polite 
a  way  as  I  could,  I  expressed  my  conviction  that 
his  avowed  visual  revelation  of  heaven  was  a  hum- 
bug, in  which  he  was  either  deceived  or  deceiving — 


298  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  former,  I  charitably  hoped.  He  smiled  patiently. 
I  again  stated  the  Scripture  teaching  in  regard  to 
heaven,  showing  that  its  reality  is  a  matter  of  faith 
to  Christians  in  the  flesh.  Then,  knitting  his  brow, 
with  a  look  of  painful  penetration,  he  asked  me,  by 
way  of  suggesting  a  new  topic,  what  the  spirit  is. 
I  stated  briefly  my  creed  touching  this  subtle,  vital, 
conscious  essence. 

"Can  the  spirit  be  seen?"  he  interposed,  cate- 
chetically. 

''No." 

"It  can,"  dogmatically. 

"Prove  it." 

"I  have  seen  it." 

In  apology  for  my  not  trusting  his  statement,  I 
begged  to  suggest  hallucination  of  some  kind  as  the 
most  charitable  solution  of  his  visions  of  the  invis- 
ible. Our  swarthy  mystic  smiled  graciously,  and 
we  closed  this  apparently  unprofitable  interview.  I 
urged  them  to  look  into  the  Christian  system. 

After  breakfast,  sent  off  my  camp  to  Bareilly, 
intending  to  follow  in  the  evening.  In  the  after- 
noon, we  all  went  to  Gynee,  where  1  had  prom- 
ised to  meet  the  Mohammedan,  for  the  discussion 
of  some  points.  After  winding  through  sundry 
crooked,  dirty  alleys  of  the  village,  we  reached  the 
chaupal,  in  which  the  Mohammedan  was  teaching 
some  boys.  A  large  crowd  soon  assembled.  The 
teacher  was  as  haughty,  bigoted  a  Moslem  as  I  ever 
met.  He  could  hardly  condescend  to  the  courtesy 
of  offering  us  seats.  He  had  on  hand  an  array  of 
books,  prepared  for  a  destructive  onslaught.     Among 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  299 

them  was  a  copy  of  the  Old  Testament  In  the 
Urdu  dialect. 

I  stated  to  the  crowd  why  we  had  come.  The 
teacher  had  demanded  of  us,  in  the  bazaar,  a  day  or 
two  before,  to  point  out  in  what  particulars  Christ 
was  more  excellent  than  any  other  prophet  —  for 
instance,  Mohammed.  We  had  come  to  converse 
on  this  point.  While  I  was  trying  to  make  this 
explanation,  the  teacher  kept  interjecting  some  im- 
pertinent remarks  all  the  time.  As  a  point  that 
might  be  appreciated  by  all — for  there  were  Hindus 
present — I  mentioned  the  sinlessness  of  the  Savior 
as  something  in  which  he  excelled  all  prophets, 
and  particularly  a  man  like  Mohammed.  Here  we 
struck  issue. 

Mohammedans  have  been  puzzled  to  find  in 
Christ  even  the  semblance  of  sin  or  moral  weak- 
ness, and  have  seemed  to  feel  his  infinite  superior- 
ity, in  this  respect,  to  all  prophets,  true  or  false. 
The  statement  is  current  among  them  that  it  was 
revealed  to  Mohammed,  that,  in  the  day  of  final 
judgment,  Jesus,  the  son  of  Mary,  will  be  put  to 
shame,  because  the  people  were  allowed  to  call  him 
the  Son  of  God. 

But,  to-day,  another  line  of  attack  was  adopted. 
Said  our  Moslem  antagonist,  with  great  affected  grav- 
ity and  wisdom : 

''You  Christians  claim  that  Deuteronomy  xviii, 
18,  refers  to  Christ,  do  you  not?" 

"Yes,  for  the  apostle  Peter  so  applied  it  in  the 
New  Testament." 

"Well,  now,  it  reads,  that,  if  that  prophet,  spoken 


300  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

of  by  Moses  to  be  raised  up,  should  speak  a  word 
that  the  Lord  had  not  spoken,  he  should  be  cut  off. 
Was  not  Jesus  cut  off?" 

"He  Avas;  but  you  make  strange  confusion  of 
Scripture,  and  deal  in  false  logic.  The  particular 
prophet  spoken  of  to  be  raised  up  is  not  the  **any" 
prophet  of  the  following  verses.  Moreover,  if  your 
line  of  argument  is  worth  any  thing,  it  proves  that 
every  martyr  prophet  has  died  for  some  misconduct, 
a  position  which  you  dare  not  take." 

Dropping  this  ''non  causa  pro  causa''  fallacy, 
he  then  quoted,  with  great  assurance,  the  passage, 
"Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree,"  as 
an  indication  that  Christ  had  partaken  of  sin  and  its 
punishment.  This  led  to  an  explanation  of  Christ's 
vicarious  sacrifice,  and  the  atonement  thereby  pro- 
vided ;  but  it  was  most  difficult  to  get  any  thing 
said  with  satisfaction.  After  every  few  sentences, 
some  interrupting  remark,  equally  impudent  and  stu- 
pid, would  be  made. 

In  vain,  I  insisted  on  his  making  his  remarks, 
and  then  hearing  mine.  His  object,  as  Fazal  Ullah, 
the  native  helper,  afterward  told  me,  was  to  keep 
up  a  confused  skirmish,  in  which  I  might  not  find 
any  opportunity  to  say  any  thing  impressive.  Fazal 
Ullah  also  tried  to  talk,  but  was  talked  down.  I 
never  engaged  in  a  more  unsatisfactory  attempt  to 
say  any  thing  among  a  crowd  of  natives  before. 
Impudence,  impertinence,  ignorance,  and  noise  com- 
bined to  make  a  very  unpleasant  interview.  At  the 
close,  I  dropped  a  few  words  to  the  Hindus,  and  we 
turned  from  them. 


CAMP  AT  ALIGUNGE.  3OI 

It  was  Hearing  sundown,  when  I  mounted  my 
little  pony,  and  rode  away  toward  home,  eating  a 
lunch  the  native  preacher's  wife  had  prepared  for 
me.  Now  galloping,  now  walking,  I  reached  the 
Ram  Gunga  River  after  nightfall,  and,  in  passing 
over  the  bridge,  I  was  reminded,  by  the  chorus  of 
croaking  frogs,  of  the  swampy  tracts  of  country 
away  in  Western  Ohio,  where  I  used  to  preach 
when  a  student  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 
How  the  notes  of  a  bird,  the  croaking  of  a  frog,  or 
some  familiar  sound,  can  divert  the  current  of  one's 
thoughts  to  far-off  days  and  distant  scenes !  I  felt  a 
deep  interest  in  missions  in  those  days,  but  did  not 
know  that  God  would  send  me  to  India.  With  all 
the  discouragements  of  the  work,  the  disheartening 
apathy  or  opposition  of  the  people,  the  depressing 
character  of  the  climate  a  large  part  of  the  year — 
yet  "I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who  hath  ena- 
bled me,  for  that  he  counted  me  faithful,  putting  me 
into  the  ministry"  in  India.  Only  a  missionary  in 
India  knows  the  real  trials  and  discouragements  en- 
countered here;  "but  none  of  these  things  move  me, 
neither  do  I  count  my  life  dear  unto  myself,  so  that 
I  might  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry 
which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify 
the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God"  among  these  idol- 
atrous Hindus  and  wicked  Mohammedans.  Blessed 
be  the  Lord  for  present  fruit,  and  for  the  promise 
and  hope  of  a  full  and  glorious  harvest! 

It  was  the  time  of  a  Hindu  festival,  celebrated  on 
rivers  by  a  beautiful  rite.  Tiny  boats,  often  made 
of  flour,  kneaded  and  baked,  and  containing  a  little 


302  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

oil  and  a  burning  wick,  are  launched  upon  the  stream 
with  a  steady  hand.  If  the  little  boat-lamp  keeps 
up  long,  the  omen  is  good;  but  if  the  unpropitious 
waves  or  ripples  engulf  the  tiny  bark,  it  is  deemed 
an  evil  augury.  A  number  of  these  little  lamps, 
gliding  off  on  a  stream,  make  a  very  pretty,  and 
often  brilliant,  scene.  From  the  bridge,  I  could  see 
scores  of  lights  gliding  down  the  stream,  some  of 
which  went  suddenly  out  as  the  little  boats  dipped 
water. 

As  I  rode  away  to  the  Mission  House,  with  my 
head  bared  to  the  evening  breeze,  which  now  began 
gently  to  blow,  my  heart  went  up  in  a  prayer  to 
God  to  hasten  the  day  when  the  infatuating  light  of 
Hinduism  shall  thus  go  out  forever,  and  when,  for 
the  deluded  millions  who  have  been  following  for 
long  ages  the  great  ignis  fatiius,  ' '  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness shall  rise,  with  healing  in  his  wings,"  over 
all  the  plains  and  mountains  of  populous  India. 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  303 


XI. 

AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS. 

*«  Better  hunt  in  fields  for  health  unbought, 
Than  fee  the  doctor  for  a  nauseous  draught." 

THE  climate  of  India  is  a  trying  one.  Although 
not  seriously  ill,  I  had  determined  on  a  month 
in  the  Himalayas,  i.n  a  climb  to  the  ''eternal  snows," 
with  a  view  to  toning  up  health,  after  several  years 
of  work  in  the  hot  and  debilitating  climate  of  the 
plains.  I  set  off  in  a  party  of  three,  August  23, 
1869,  for  the  Pinduree  Glacier.  My  fellow-tourists 
were  Rev.  S.  Knowles,  a  brother  missionary,  and 
Dr.  Harris,  a  surgeon  of  Her  Majesty's  Indian  army. 
Our  touring  equipage  consisted  of  a  little  tent, 
with  three  cross-legged  cots,  as  many  camp-chairs, 
dishes  and  cooking  utensils,  and  food  packed  in 
small  compass,  a  few  small  trunks  and  satchels  for 
clothing,  three  guns  for  any  game  that  might  be 
met — the  whole  carried  by  twenty  coolies.  We  had 
two  ponies  for  the  party,  to  be  ridden  by  turns. 

Leaving  Nynee  Tal  —  the  lake  of  the  goddess 
Nynee — nestled  away  up  in  the  outer  Himalayas, 
we  clambered  up  to  a  pass,  and  made  the  descent 
that  led  us  across  a  stream  that  lay  in  our  route. 
Dr.  Harris  proved  a  bit  of  a  botanist,  and  we 
plucked  and  examined  many  a  flower,  as  we  walked 


304  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

and  rode  down  that  winding  way.  It  was  a  grand 
opportunity,  too,  for  geologizing,  as  magnificent 
ledges  of  rocks  cropped  out  along  the  mountain 
sides.  The  bed  of  the  mountain  stream,  down  which 
our  way  led,  was  strewn  with  splendid  bowlders, 
many  of  them  fine  composites  —  ''pudding-stones." 
The  stream  roared  its  wild  mountain  music,  as  it 
dashed  down  here,  and  tumbled  and  churned  away 
in  foamy  whiteness  there.  The  notes  of  many  a 
bird  rang  through  the  forest  and  tangled  bushes  that 
lined  the  grand  old  mountain  sides. 

We  halted  at  the  traveler's  bungalow,  in  a  de- 
lightful spot  in  the  valley.  Below  us,  a  neat  little 
suspension  bridge  spanned  the  clear-flowing  stream; 
beyond  rose  the  high  and  wide  frame-work  of  the 
mountain,  with  its  little  patches  of  grain,  the  quiet 
cattle  erazincr  here  and  there,  and  wreaths  of  smoke 
rising  and  dragging  along  the  mountain  side. 

At  the  bungalow,  we  met  Mr.  Kennedy,  who, 
on  account  of  feeble  health,  had  been  sent  up  to  the 
mountains,  to  open  mission  work  in  a  more  friendly 
climate.  He  spoke  of  the  hill  people  unfavorably, 
as  compared  with  the  people  of  the  plains.  They 
are,  he  thinks,  more  given  to  deception  and  false- 
hood, and  are  more  stolid,  ignorant,  superstitious, 
and  inaccessible  to  the  truth. 

In  the  morning,  we  were  off  early.  Magnificent 
fleecy  clouds  rested  on  the  mountain-top.  Two 
large  yellow  foxes,  with  white-tipped  tails,  came 
tamely  down  the  mountain  side,  and  trotted  care- 
lessly about  a  short  distance  from  us.  Following 
the   roaring   stream,   we  came  to  a  delightful   place, 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIiMALAYAS.  305 

where  the  current  checked  up,  broad,  clear,  and 
deep.  It  was  a  tempting  opportunity.  We  were 
boys  again,  and,  sticking  our  alpenstocks  in  the 
sand,  we  stripped,  and  plunged,  cheering,  from  the 
rocks  into  the  limpid  waters.  Ah,  what  a  capital 
swim!  now  to  the  other  side,  now  round  and  round, 
now  a  dive,  and  we  clambered  on  the  rocks  again, 
wonderfully  refreshed. 

The  road  frequently  lifted  us  above,  on  dizzy 
cliffs,  from  which  we  could  have  leaped  into  the 
stream,  that  churned  and  foamed  hundreds  of  feet 
below  us.  Growing  rice-fields  lay  along  the  narrow 
valley  that  was  sandwiched  between  the  steep 
mountain  sides.  We  left  this  valley,  and  began  a 
most  difficult  ascent.  It  was  no  place  for  a  horse, 
yet  on  we  went  zigzag,  dismounting  at  last  where  a 
goat  could  hardly  climb.  I  left  a  native  groom  to 
lead  my  pony;  but  the  careless  fellow  pushed  the 
animal  back  as  she  was  rapidly  climbing  a  steep, 
narrow  passage,  and,  for  a  moment,  I  thought  she 
was  gone,  as  she  poised  on  the  brink  of  a  fright- 
ful precipice.  How  the  breezes  fanned  us,  as  we 
w^ere  lifted  high  out  of  that  sultry  valley.  A  rest, 
and  we  push  on,  now  along  the  mountain  side,  now 
threading  a  narrow  ridge,  now  climbing  and  winding 
about  the  peaks. 

Night  came  down,  as  we  rode  through  the  pines 
of  Ranee  Khet,  a  military  station,  and  reached  the 
end  of  our  march.  Having  arrived  in  the  night,  we 
had  not  been  able  to  see  the  charming  scenery  in 
the  midst  of  which  we  had  encamped;  but,  when 
the  sunlight   lifted  the  veil  of  darkness  and  fog,  we 

26 


306  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

realized  the  Elysian  beauty  of  the  place.  Ranee 
Khet  has  been  selected  by  the  ^British  government 
as  a  sanitary  station  for  troops.  It  is  a  broken 
plateau,  averaging  about  five  thousand  six  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea  level.  It  is  covered  with  a  white- 
pine  forest,  and  is  clean  and  grassy.  Through  this 
place,  wide  carriage  drives  have  been  constructed, 
among  barracks  and  houses  for  officers  and  various 
officials.  It  is  a  desirable  mountain  retreat  from  the 
heat  and  oppression  of  the  plains. 

We  were  invited  to  breakfast  with  Mrs.  Kennedy, 
the  wife  of  the  missionary  we  had  met.  We  found 
her  to  be  a  devoted  and  most  interesting  old  Scotch 
lady,  living  in  a  sylvan  hut,  prior  to  the  building 
of  a  mission  house.  Hospitality  was  never  more 
charming. 

We  pushed  off,  hoping  to  reach  Almorah,  twenty 
miles  distant,  by  night.  Our  way  lay  through  de- 
lightful mountain  scenery.  From  a  turn  in  the  road, 
we  had  a  magnificent  geological  bird's-eye  view. 
For  a  sweep  of  perhaps  a  hundred  miles,  the  frame- 
work of  the  mountain  lay  before  us.  Below  was 
the  winding  valley  of  a  considerable  stream,  on 
either  side  of  Avhich  were  seen  a  succession  of  hills 
and  cliffs  and  peaks,  manifestly  molded  and  carved 
by  the  agency  of  water.  As  we  moved  on,  the 
changing  of  our  position  was  continually,  kaleido- 
scope-like, throwing  the  scenery  into  new  and 
charming  positions.  Now  the  road  led  over  a  high 
ridge,  from  which  we  could  see  the  golden  clouds  of 
sunset  piled  along  the  mountain  crest,  forming  such 
a  picture  as  nature  alone  can  paint. 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  307 

Darkness  came  011  apace,  and  we  had  left  our 
coolies  far  behind.  It  was  evident  that  we  could 
not  reach  Almorah ;  so  we  concluded  to  stop  at  a 
tea  plantation,  five  miles  short  of  that  place.  Near- 
ing  this,  our  way  lay  along  a  ledge  of  rocks,  where 
our  progress  was  dangerous,  in  the  thickening  dark- 
ness. Descending  to  the  bed  of  the  river,  we  missed 
the  proper  crossing.  It  was  now  fully  night;  and 
the  darkness  was  enhanced  in  the  deep,  gorge-like 
valley  of  the  river.  Our  situation  became  very  un- 
pleasant, in  the  prospect  of  not  finding  shelter,  and 
in  remaining  out  all  night  on  the  mountain.  Heavy 
rain  might  fall,  or  wild  beasts  attack  us.  We  re- 
traced our  steps  to  what  seemed  to  be  the  ford  of 
the  turbulent  and  forbidding  current;  and,  with  dif- 
ficulty, I  pushed  my  pony  into  the  rapid  stream. 
Down  she  went,  until  the  rushing  water  flowed  over 
the  saddle ;  and,  floundering  and  swimming,  we  were 
both  almost  submerged.  She  struck  bravely  for  the 
other  shore,  and  then  scrambled  up  the  steep,  in 
darkness  most  profound. 

I  soon  reached  the  tea-planter's  bungalow.  A 
native  guide  was  procured,  who  swam  the  river,  and 
took  the  rest  of  the  party  two  miles  round,  by  a 
bridge.  I  was  glad  to  change  my  dripping  clothes 
for  a  dry  suit  from  the  planter,  an  Englishman,  Avho 
made  every  possible  demonstration  of  hospitality.  It 
was  nearly  midnight  before  the  others  of  the  party 
arrived,  when  we  ate,  with  a  gusto,  steaming  food 
that  was  set  before  us.  We  laughed  over  our  ad- 
venture. *'We  never  expected  to  see  you  come  out 
of   that   stream   alive,"    said   the   others.      Recently, 


308  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

there   had   been  a   case   of  drowning,   in  an  attempt 
to  cross  at  this  place. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  before  I  awoke  the 
next  morning-.  We  breakfasted  with  the  tea-planter, 
and  then  inspected  Jiis  plantation.  The  English  gov- 
ernment has  been  encouraging  the  industry  of  tea- 
growing  in  the  Himalayas.  Chinese  cultivators  were 
brought  over,  numerous  plantations  were  started, 
and  the  mountain  people  taught  the  work  of  grow- 
ing and  preparing  the  tea.  These  plantations  have 
not  been,  generally,  well  managed;  but  the  experi- 
ment of  growing  good  tea  on  the  slopes  of  the 
Himalayas  is  a  perfect  success.  Large  quantities 
of  tea  are  now  exported,  while  it  is  the  chief  tea 
consumed  in  India.  The  tea-shrubs  are  planted  in 
rows  three  or  four  feet  apart,  like  corn  in  the 
United  States.  These  plants  begin  to  yield  the 
third  year,  and  at  the  proper  season,  every  two  or 
three  weeks,  they  are  gone  over,  and  the  tips  of 
the  fresh  shoots  plucked  off,  so  as  to  secure  two 
or  three  leaves.  These  leaves  are  wilted  in  pans 
over  a  charcoal  fire,  and  then  rolled  by  hand,  and 
dried  again,  into  the  crisp  form  in  which  they  are 
found  by  the  consumer.  When  the  crisping  is  fin- 
ished, the  tea  is  spread  out  in  broad,  pan-like  bas- 
kets, in  which  it  is  "picked,"  which  is  a  process 
of  separating  the  different  kinds  of  tea  from  the 
same  pan.  The  older  and  coarser  leaves  are  distin- 
guished by  the  pickers,  and  separated,  constituting 
the  cheaper  teas.  The  delicate  top  leaves,  that  were 
just  unfolding  when  plucked,  make  the  best  teas. 
Be   it   known  to  all   lovers  of  this  fragrant,   grateful 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  309 

beverage  that  all  kinds  of  tea — Bohea,  Young  Hyson, 
Gunpowder,  Pekoa,  black  tea  and  green — all  come 
from  the  same  plant.  A  little  skill  in  manipulating, 
Avhile  the  tea  is  preparing,  evolves  all  the  colors  and 
flavors  and  names  that  delight  and  delude  the  tea- 
drinking  world. 

Having  satisfied  ourselves  as  to  the  growing  of 
tea,  we  pushed  on,  although  it  was  raining.  Up 
the  winding  road  we  went.  The  rain  ceased,  the 
sun  came  out,  and  the  mountain  was  magnificent. 
Almorah,  the  capital  of  the  united  mountain  prov- 
inces of  Kumaon  and  Gurhwal,  is  situated  on  a  high 
ridge,  about  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
It  was  formerly  the  capital  of  a  native  state,  from 
which  predatory  raids  w^ere  made  into  the  British 
territory  of  the  plains.  In  18 18,  a  British  forco 
pushed  a  campaign  into  these  mountains  and  at- 
tacked ^this  place.  We  saw  the  place  where  the 
force  came  up,  fought  the  Ghurkas,  as  they  are 
called,  lost  some  men,  but  drove  the  enemy  into 
their  fort,  still  standing,  on  a  high  knoll  of  the 
mountain.  The  British  planted  a  mountain  battery 
on  another  knoll,  and  two  well-directed  shots  did  the 
business  of  the  fort,  and  a  province  was  added  to 
British  India  possessions. 

Here  we  met  Mr.  Budden,  the  missionary  resi- 
dent, a  most  genial  man,  and  Dr.  Mather,  one  of 
the  oldest  missionaries  in  India — a  descendant  of  the 
Cotton  Mather  family.  He  has  done  more  in  per- 
fecting the  Hindustani  Bible  than  any  other  man  in 
India.  We  visited  Mr.  Budden's  school,  in  which 
some  ^three   hundred  and   fifty  native   pupils  receive 


310  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

instruction.  Mr.  Budden  thinks  these  schools  are 
the  most  hopeful  means  of  breaking  down  the  preju- 
dices of  the  natives,  and  of  preparing  the  way  of 
the  Lord  in  these  mountains.  He  thinks  that  an  en- 
couraging knowledge  of  Christian  truth  is  spreading. 

We  took  a  peep,  from  a  distance,  at  the  leper 
asylum  connected  with  this  mission.  It  is  located 
some  distance  from  the  town,  on  a  slope  of  the 
mountain,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty  in- 
mates. The  object  of  the  asylum  is  to  furnish  a 
home  and  curative  establishment  for  lepers  who  may 
wish  to  enter.  Leprosy  is  a  not  uncommon  disease 
in  India,  and  is,  doubtless,  the  same  as  the  leprosy 
of  the  Scriptures.  It  pervades  the  system  as  a  virus 
in  the  blood,  manifesting  itself  most  frequently  in 
the  fingers  and  toes,  which,  joint  by  jx)int,  drop 
away,  till  finally  the  patient,  loathsome  and  loathed, 
dies.  The  lepers  who  resort  to  this  asylum  are  fed 
and  clothed  and  taught  in  a  manner  that  puts  the 
humanity  of  Christian  people  in  striking  contrast 
with  the  heartlessness  of  the  natives,  from  whom 
the  leper  is  ever  a  detested  outcast.  In  this  asylum 
the  disease  is  often  arrested  by  medical  appliances; 
and  the  patient  lives  for  years,  in  comparative  com- 
fort. Elementary  education  is  imparted,  and  some 
simple  industrial  arts  are  pursued.  The  lepers  live 
in  comfortable  quarters,  have  a  school-house,  a 
chapel,  and  a  bit  of  ground  to  cultivate.  Many  of 
them  become  Christians,  and  learn  to  love  Him  who 
can  heal  the  worst  of  all  leprosies. 

Turning  away  from  this  humanitarian  enterprise, 
we    set    out    for    Takula,    our    next    camping-place. 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  3  1 1 

Zigzagging  about  the  mountain,  higher  and  higher, 
we  reached  a  pass;  and  then  descended,  down, 
down,  round  and  round;  and  then  up  again,  by  a 
long,  serpentine  grade  that  lifted  us  up  to  another 
pass.  It  began  to  rain — not  hard,  but  a  steady, 
penetrating  drizzle.  Once  over  this  pass,  a  deep, 
narrow  gorge,  we  dropped  rapidly  down  a  descent 
frightfully  steep  in  places,  and  reached  a  stream 
pouring  along  through  a  most  charming  valley.  In 
places,  the  overhanging  branches  of  the  trees  that 
fringed  the  stream  met,  forming  a  delightful  avenue, 
through  which  the  rapid  water  danced  and  plashed 
along. 

Reaching  the  village  of  Takula  just  as  night  was 
coming  on,  our  tent  was  pitched  in  the  rain.  Down 
went  a  rough  carpet,  cots  were  set  up,  beds  were 
spread,  and  we  were  cozy  enough  for  the  night — al- 
though the  relentless  rain  pelted  dull  music  on  our 
canvas  roof.  A  fire  of  pine  sticks  was  built  by  the 
tent  door,  which  cheerily  blazed  away,  all  heedless 
of  the  rain.  Food  was  brought,  and  it  never  relished 
better;  then  a  chat,  then  a  reading,  and  we  "turned 
in"  for  the  night. 

Awoke  when  the  sun  was  pouring  light  and 
cheer  over  the  peaks,  and  adown  the  valleys.  We 
were  in  a  charming  place.  Below  us  murmured  a 
large  brook,  its  banks  fringed  with  many  an  over- 
hanging tree  and  gaudy  flower,  all  in  nature's  most 
charming  neglig^.  Near  at  hand,  a  rustic  bridge  led 
over  the  brook,  where  a  little  moss-covered  temple 
reared  its  conical  spire  amid  the  dripping  branches 
of  the   overtopping   pines.      And  there   grinned  the 


312  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

hideous  images  worshiped  by  these  mountaineers — 
the  filthy  Mahadeo,  bloody  Kali,  and  licentious 
Shree  Krishna.  On  either  hand,  the  fertile,  well- 
cultivated  valley  led  up  to  the  mountain  slopes, 
which,  rising  higher  and  higher,  terminated  in 
somber  gorges,  beetling  cliffs,  and  rocks,  where 
"from  peak  to  peak,  the  rattling  crags  among,  leaps 
the  live  thunder." 

Breakfast  over,  we  kept  out  guns  for  game,  in 
any  chance  shot  that  might  turn  up.  The  unfortu- 
nate shot  came.  In  a  little  rice-field,  where  the 
hitherto  narrow  valley  had  swelled  out  to  a  pretty 
glen,  a  pheasant,  all  unconscious  of  brooding  danger, 
was  calling  to  its  mate.  Harris  and  Knowles  de- 
scended for  a  shot.  Harris  fired  with  one  barrel, 
and  then,  quick,  with  the  other,  to  be  sure  of  his 
game ;  and,  O  horrors !  a  poor  village  girl  sprang  up 
from  the  growing  rice,  ran  screaming  from  the  field, 
and  soon  dropped,  groaning,  badly  hit  with  the  shot. 
We  hastened  to  her,  and  found  that  one  charge  had 
taken  effect  in  her  feet  and  legs,  the  other  in  her 
breast  and  neck.  She  had  crouched  in  the  standing 
grain,  and  was  pulling  out  weeds,  when  Harris,  see- 
ing her  move,  mistook  her  brown  clothing  for  the 
plumage  of  a  pheasant,  and  fired.  Fortunately,  she 
had  received  the  shot  at  a  distance,  and  the  pellets 
had  not  penetrated  deeply.  We  carried  her  to  a 
village  near  by,  when  some  natives,  who  had  fled 
away  on  first  hearing  the  firing,  came  up.  For  a 
time,  it  looked  as  if  they  were  disposed  to  attack 
us.  Knowles  kept  his  gun  well  in  hand  till  we  got 
away  from  the  village.      He  afterward  remarked  that 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  313 

he  had  known  instances  where  villagers  had  attacked 
parties  under  similar  circumstances.  We  tried  in 
vain  to  get  one  of  the  men  to  go  forward  with  us 
to  our  baggage,  and  receive  some  medicine  for  the 
wounded  girl. 

Pushing  on  up  a  long,  steep  acclivity,  we  crossed 
a  narrow  ridge,  and  dropped  rapidly  down  the  other 
side.  Here  we  met  two  English  officers  of  the  Royal 
Artillery,  returning  from  a  five  months'  tour  in  the 
Himalayas.  They  had  been  over  into  the  most  ele- 
vated plateau  of  Thibet,  and  said  they  had  fine 
hunting,  with  some  little  adventure,  having  been 
finally  turned  back  as  spies  by  Thibetan  authorities. 
They  were  dressed  in  native  costume,  adopted,  they 
said,  to  avoid  suspicion  and  interference. 

Pushing  on,  we  reached  the  banks  of  a  river 
called  the  Sarju,  or  Bilotee  (Churner),  a  most  appro- 
priate name  for  the  stream,  which  foamed  and 
churned  along  over  its  rocky  bed  till  white  as  the 
lacteal  fluid  itself.  Two  miles  up  the  course  of  this 
resounding  river  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Bag- 
hishwar  (Garden  of  God),  where,  crossing  the  river 
by  a  quaint  wooden  bridge,  we  halted  at  the  travel- 
er's bungalow.  I  found  that  the  covering  in  which 
my  hand-trunk  was  done  up  had  been  removed,  and 
an  attempt  made  to  open  the  trunk,  which  failed, 
thanks  to  the  faithful  lock.  These  rascally  coolies 
sometimes  open  baggage,  and  appropriate  money,  or 
any  article  they  may  fancy. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday,  and  we  had  a 
blessed  day  of  rest.  On  awaking,  Knowles  and  I 
walked,  in  our  night-clothes,  down  to   the   Churner, 

27 


314  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

which  still  churned  furiously  by,  and  had  a  refresh- 
ing bath  in  its  boisterous  waters.  Dr.  Harris  went 
back  to  look  after  the  woman  who  had  been  shot, 
and  found  that  she  was  not  in  a  dangerous  condition. 
He  had  her  sent  to  the  Almorah  Hospital,  where 
the  shot  could  be  removed. 

Monday  was  a  bright,  cheery  day.  We  made 
our  entire  march  up  the  course  of  the  noisy  river 
on  which  we  had  been  encamped.  The  river's 
ceaseless  roar,  mingled  with  the  song  of  birds  and 
the  shrill  notes  of  the  cicadse,  a  kind  of  katydid, 
made  wild  music  to  the  tramp,  tramp,  of  our 
strength-gathering  limbs.  Gaudy  butterflies  flitted 
across  our  pathway.  Splendid  collections  can  be 
made  in  these  mountains.  I  saw  a  little  yellow 
fellow  that  I  used  to  capture  when  a  boy.  The 
memory  of  scenes  distant  in  time  and  space  came 
vividly  over  me. 

At  midday,  we  halted,  for  a  lunch  of  buttered 
bread  and  cheese,  by  a  headlong  stream,  that  came 
tumbling  over  rocks  and  polished  bowlders.  It  was 
a  delightful  spot.  Looking  up  from  the  little  rustic 
bridge  that  crossed  with  a  single  quivering  span,  a 
scene  of  wild  and  most  entrancing  beauty  opened  to 
view.  Emerging  from  the  rocks  and  trees  up  the 
mountain  side,  this  stream,  in  considerable  volume, 
came  foaming,  tumbling  down,  swashing  round  the 
rocks,  splashing  against  jutting  stones,  circling  in 
little  sheltered  eddies,  where  drifting  sticks  whirled 
round  and  round  in  fruitless  endeavors  to  regain  the 
headlong  current.  Here  and  there  pendent  branches 
swayed   with   a   regular   beat   in   the  stream,  which, 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  315 

rushing  madly  on,  dashed  beneath  the  bridge,  and, 
with  mingled  motion,  tumbling,  whirling,  splashing, 
disappeared,  with  a  resounding  murmur,  in  the  gray 
rocks  and  overhanging  wood  below. 

Nearing  camp,  at  a  village  called  Kupkote,  a  turn 
in  the  course  of  the  river  opened  a  far-reaching  vista 
to  the  snowy  range,  giving  us  our  first  peep.  The 
fleecy  clouds  that  hung  around  the  mountain  crests 
had  parted,  and  there,  far  up  the  distant  valley, 
through  a  well-wooded  gorge — but  far  beyond — stood 
the  snowy  peaks,  against  the  blue  empyrean,  white 
and  cold.  It  was  a  fascinating  sight — foretaste  of 
what  we  were  pressing  forward  to  enjoy.  In  a  mo- 
ment the  delightful  vision  was  snatched  away  by  a 
mass  of  passing  cloud.  A  blazing  fire  by  our  tent 
door  gave  a  cheery  air  to  our  bivouac. 

Morning  came  with  a  bright  sun.  Up  the  valley, 
in  the  direction  of  our  route,  the  prospect  was  sub- 
lime. One's  eye  could  group  the  far-reaching 
scenery  as  a  vast  painting,  limned  and  hung  against 
the  sky  by  Titanic  hands.  In  the  foreground  was 
the  cultivated  valley,  narrowing  rapidly  to  the  simple 
bed  of  the  river,  from  which  the  jutting  hills  and 
grassy  slopes  led  up  the  mountain  sides.  Higher 
up  the  rapid  river,  mountain  rose  on  mountain,  pile 
upon  pile,  till  a  cumulous  mass  of  cloud  veiled  the 
magnificent  scene.  Then,  far  above  mountain  and 
cloud,  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  and  crowned  with  a 
wreath  of  haze,  towered  the  snowy  peaks.  Such  a 
sight,  once  seen,  is  remembered  forever.  I  gazed, 
and  gazed  again,  till  the  rising  sun,  lifting  a  volume 
of  fog  from  below,  veiled  all  from  sight. 


3l6  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

My  pony  was  lame  from  the  loss  of  both  hind 
shoes,  and  I  could  take  her  no  farther.  The  natives 
told  us  a  gentleman  had  a  fine  horse  killed  by  a  fall 
over  the  rocks  in  advance  of  us.  These  ponies  are 
marvels  of  activity  and  sure-footedness.  They  can 
climb  where  a  mountain  goat  can  hardly  go.  I  have 
looked  with  wonder  at  the  way  they  climb  around 
cliffs  and  along  ledges  where  the  merest  foot-path 
leads.  They  will  walk  up  and  down  steps  cut  in  the 
rock,  or  made  of  stones  piled  together,  with  a  cau- 
tion and  apparent  security  that  is  truly  wonderful. 

Up  the  river  we  held  on  our  way,  by  many  a 
gurgling  stream,  that  leaped,  clear  and  cold,  from  the 
cliffs.  It  was  a  practical  Yankee  who  remarked,  on 
seeing  Niagara  Falls,  "What  a  waste  of  water- 
power!"  Coming  from  the  heated  plains,  where 
cool,  fresh  water  is  often  a  felt  want,  I  often  thought, 
on  seeing  those  copious  fountains.  What  a  waste  of 
splendid  drinking  water!  Beneath  the  branches  of 
some  trees  that  clung  to  the  rocks  over  our  heads, 
we  sat  down  and  ate  our  midday  lunch,  drinking  cups 
of  purest  water  that  poured  from  a  high,  natural 
wall  of  freestone.  Once  the  cup  brought  a  leech, 
that  went  measuring  about  the  bottom. 

Leeches  abound  in  these  mountains,  not  only 
about  springs  and  streams,  but  through  wet  grass 
and  weeds,  especially  in  the  rainy  season.  They 
often  fasten  on  one,  and,  when  the  clothing  is  re- 
moved, a  great  bloated  fellow  may  be  found  who  has 
gorged  himself  on  one's  life-blood.  Thus  far  on 
our  journey  we  had  often  found  blood  trickling  down 
our  legs,  where  leeches  had  tapped   the  sanguinary 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  317 

fountain,  glutted  themselves,  and  then  fallen  off. 
They  generally  make  a  painless  wound. 

Once  Mr.  Knowles  had  a  more  trying  experience 
with  these  insatiable  blood-suckers.  In  coming  up 
the  mountain  to  Nynee  Tal,  he  stooped  and  drank 
from  a  cool  stream  that  sparkled  down  the  mountain. 
For  a  month,  he  suffered  from  a  strange  feeling  in 
his  nose,  and  inconvenience  in  breathing,  with  slight 
bleeding  at  times.  One  day,  in  a  violent  fit  of 
sneezing  and  blowing  of  the  nose,  out  came  an  im- 
mense leech,  fully  three  inches  long.  Investigation 
revealed  the  existence  of  a  fellow-intruder,  which 
came  away  from  filling  the  nasal  passage  with  brandy. 
It  was  quite  as  large  as  the  other.  They  had  found 
their  way  in  when  small,  at  the  time  Mr.  Knowles 
drank  from  the  brook. 

Domestic  animals,  in  these  mountains,  are  often 
greatly  distressed  by  these  leeches.  Invading  the 
nostrils  of  the  horse,  they  are  often  decoyed  down 
by  holding  water  near  the  animal's  nose,  when  the 
leech,  thirsting  for  the  water,  puts  down  its  prehen- 
sile head,  and  is  nabbed  by  a  pair  of  tweezers. 

Pushing  on  up  the  valley,  we  found  abundant 
flowers,  labiates  rich  and  rare,  with  two  varieties  of 
the  convolvulus,  one  of  them  the  "morning-glory." 
Leaving  the  valley  of  the  Surju,  a  long,  trying 
climb  up  through  rocks  and  bushes  and  grassy 
slopes  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Lohar-Khet 
(blacksmith-field),  so  called  from  smiths  who  lived 
and  forged  here  in  former  days,  when  a  rajah  ruled 
these  mountains. 

In    the    evening,    some    villagers    came,    begging 


3l8  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

medicine  and  shot.  They  thus  watch  their  oppor- 
tunity to  get  a  little  ammunition  from  passing  tour- 
ists. Natives,  all  over  India,  now  know  the  virtue 
of  quinine.  We  talked  to  these  men  about  the  wor- 
ship of  idols,  and  found  that,  although  idolaters, 
they  believed  in  a  Supreme  Being — ''God  over  all." 
These  hardy  mountaineers  are  cheerful,  manly  fel- 
lows, and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  the  Gospel  will  penetrate  to  them. 
They  are,  in  speech  and  physique,  a  different  class 
of  people  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  plains.  Many 
of  them  have  marked  Tartaric  features.  They  are 
short  in  stature,  with  powerful  limbs,  and  carry  bur- 
dens up  acclivities,  where  to  us  it  seems  difficult, 
unburdened,  to  climb. 

Several  of  them  came  to  us,  the  next  morning, 
soliciting  service  as  hunters.  Many  tourists  engage 
in  hunting,  in  these  mountains.  Bears,  leopards, 
deer,  antelopes,  wild  goats,  and  sheep  are  to  be 
found.  These  hunters  employ  native  mountaineers 
as  guides,  and  to  carry  their  guns  and  ammunition. 
Such  natives  are  called  shikarees  (hunters),  and  they 
deem  their  work  a  little  more  honorable  than  carry- 
ing ordinary  burdens. 

An  old  man,  among  those  who  applied  for  this 
post  of  honor  to  our  party,  was  quite  a  character 
in  his  way.  He  was  an  old  professional,  having 
done  duty  in  this  line  for  many  years.  He  sought 
to  ingratiate  himself  among  us  by  showing  Avounds 
received  in  honorable  fights  with  wild  animals,  and 
also  letters  of  recommendation  from  hunting  tourists, 
for  whom  he  had   bravely  carried   guns  and   piloted 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  319 

the  way  to  game.  He  told  us  of  a  memorable  hug 
he  had  with  a  wounded  bear,  in  which  he  got  a 
finger  bit  off,  and  had  his  collar-bone  broken.  A 
hunter  had  shot  a  bear,  and  the  infuriated  beast 
charged  the  hunting  party,  with  hair  on  end  and 
mouth  distended.  Selecting,  as  a  more  easy  vic- 
tim, the  shikaree,  it  seized  and  gave  him  a  terrible 
squeeze,  biting  off  a  finger  in  the  affray.  The  hunt- 
ers coming  to  the  rescue,  the  bear  made  good  its 
escape. 

We  had  fine  views  in  the  mountain  this  day. 
Far  below,  the  river  appeared  like  a  line  of  silver, 
winding  along  the  devious  valley,  its  distant  roar 
now  hushed  to  a  faint  murmur.  A  turn  in  the 
mountain  brought  a  far-reaching  gorge  in  view,  lead- 
ing up  to  well-marked  peaks,  wreathed  with  clouds. 
The  coolies  remarked  that  the  next  day  we  would 
reach  the  limit  of  habitation,  and  would  find  no  one 
in  the  mountains  but  ourselves  and  God.  All,  how- 
ever idolatrous,  have  the  idea  of  a  supreme  God. 

Our  path  lay  through  a  luxuriant  forest,  abound- 
ing in  moss-covered  oaks,  with  a  few  pines,  and  the 
brilliant  rhododendron  (rose-tree).  There  are  several 
varieties  of  oak  in  the  Himalayas;  but  none  of  them 
have  the  large,  sinuate  leaf  of  the  oak  in  the  United 
States.  The  rhododendron  is  a  small  tree,  bearing 
large  red  flowers,  and  presents  a  most  gorgeous 
appearance  when  in  bloom.  About  us,  the  rocks 
were  beautifully  matted  and  fringed  with  moss. 
Wild  geraniums,  with  bright  purple  flowers,  and 
*' touch-me-nots"  of  many  hues,  thickly  covered 
the  ground.     Now  we  pass  a  headlong  stream  that 


320  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

suddenly  bursts  from  the  thick-clustered  trees  and 
foliage,  and  roaring,  splashing,  foaming  among  the 
rocks,  flings  its  spray  at  our  feet,  and,  leaping  by, 
is  soon  lost  among  the  trees  and  rocks  below.  We 
quaff  crystal  water  from  its  current,  and  climb  up 
the  mountain,  here  almost  perpendicular.  The  zig- 
zag foot-path  was  cut  in  the  rock.  When  far  up  the 
cliff,  an  immense  eagle  swooped  from  the  trees,  and 
wheeled  away  into  the  abyss  over  the  deep  gorges 
and  low-lying  valleys.  In  places,  a  long,  fine  grass 
draped  the  slopes  and  waved  among  the  rocks.  It 
was  a  long,  hard  pull  for  the  coolies,  with  their 
heavy  burdens;  but  they  kept  cracking  their  jokes, 
as  we  could  learn  from  the  laughter  that  rang  be- 
times along  the  mountain  side.  These  hill  men  are 
cheery  fellows. 

The  top  reached,  a  vast  amphitheater  of  mount- 
ains was  in  view — a  panorama  such  as  mortal  eye 
rarely  beholds.  In  one  direction,  silvery  cascades 
were  playing  down  the  moss-covered  ledges;  in  an- 
other, the  distant  sweep  of  the  mountains  revealed  a 
number  of  brown  stone  villages,  nestled  away  on 
little  plateaus.  The  headlong  river  we  had  left  at 
our  last  camping-place  rushed  along  away  below, 
its  deafening  roar  subdued  to  a  distant  murmur. 
Fleecy  clouds  hung  in  calm  majesty  about  the 
lofty  mountain  crests,  whence  cool  breezes  anon 
came  down  upon  us;  but  a  grander  view  was  yet 
in  store. 

Our  way  led  us  up  another  spur  of  the  mount- 
ain, higher,  still  higher,  till  on  a  level  with  the 
clouds.     Seated  on  a  rock,  I  gazed  in  silent  wonder 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  32 1 

on  the  mountain  world  opened  out  at  this  greater 
elevation.  Peak  rose  beyond  peak,  and  range  be- 
yond range,  till  a  field  of  mountains  stretched  be- 
neath the  eye  more  than  a  hundred  miles  away. 
Around  some  peaks  filmy  clouds  had  wreathed  their 
fantastic  drapery  and  airy  forms.  The  peaks 
seemed  to  reach  the  same  general  level,  and  they 
grew  faint,  and  fainter  still,  in  the  thickening  haze, 
till  sky  and  cloud  and  mountain  peak  blended  in  one 
dark,  distant  hue.  Some  of  the  peaks,  touching  the 
clouds,  looked  like  vast  pillars  supporting  the  floor 
of  heaven.  Far  off,  in  the  semicircular  sweep  of  a 
high  mountain  side,  a  shower  was  falling.  One 
could  see  the  cloud  and  the  shower,  with  sunshine 
above  and  around  it.  From  the  somber  cloud,  as 
from  a  huge  distaff,  down  spun  the  steaming  rain  on 
the  wooded  slopes.  The  rumbling  thunder,  like 
salvos  of  distant  artillery,  was  heard.  Still  up  the 
mountain  we  climbed,  gathering  some  wild  straw- 
berries from  vines  that  trailed  on  the  slopes.  The 
wild  geraniums,  asters,  and  fadeless  flowers  looked 
very  pretty.  In  going  from  the  lowest  valleys  to 
these  higher  altitudes,  in  a  few  hours  one  meets  the 
same  flora  that  would  be  seen  in  passing  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Great  Lakes. 

We  reached  our  camp,  on  a  little  plateau  where 
some  shepherds  graze  their  flocks.  It  was  a  delight- 
ful place.  From  the  oaks,  creeping  mosses  hung  in 
festoons,  or  floated  in  long  streamers  in  the  mountain 
breezes.  A  cloud  enveloped  us  in  its  chilly,  damp 
vesture  just  as  we  arrived,  but  soon  rolled  away, 
and   the   setting   sun   poured   its  level  beams  across 


322  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  mountain  world.  In  the  direction  of  the  snowy 
range,  through  an  opening  in  the  mountain,  a  white- 
capped  peak  was  seen  towering  aloft  in  the  vast  em- 
pyrean. It  flashed  the  sunbeams  like  a  mirror.  As 
the  sun  went  down,  it  appeared  like  an  immense 
wedge  of  marble  piercing  the  sky,  and,  although 
more  than  sixty  miles  away,  it  seemed  just  beyond 
us.  Again  the  clouds  enwrapped  us  with  a  chill; 
abysmal  darkness  brooded  over  the  vasty  depths  of 
the  valleys  away  below,  whence  the  hollow  roar  of 
distant  waters  reached  us.  Our  camp-fire,  built  on 
a  rock  by  the  tent  door,  burned  all  the  more  cheerily 
for  the  darkness  and  the  cold.  Anon  lurid  gleams 
of  lightning  illumed  the  immense  banks  of  cloud 
that,  high  and  wide,  hung  against  the  distant 
mountain. 

Our  position  here  was  about  ten  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea-level.  We  experienced  some  difficulty 
in  breathing  at  this  altitude.  It  was  a  very  cold 
night,  and  we  found  it  difficult  to  keep  warm,  al- 
though wrapped  in  the  best  of  blankets. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  sun  lifted  av/ay  the 
mountain  mists,  I  walked  in  my  night-clothes  down 
to  the  icy  stream,  that  rolled,  clear  and  cold,  from 
the  snow-clad  peaks,  and  had  a  tonic  bath.  Whew! 
how  cold  !     What  a  reaction  and  glow ! 

We  felt  a  restless  interest  for  the  march.  Each 
day  and  each  mile  of  the  journey  brought  such 
varied,  novel,  and  sublime  scenery  to  view,  that  the 
march  was  a  perpetual  surprise. 

A  short  climb  brought  us  to  the  pass  of  this  arm 
of  the  mountain,  and  we  had  a  glimpse  of  the  glacier 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  323 

to  which  we  were  pressing  forward.  It  was  still 
distant  three  days'  march.  Beyond  us  rolled  an- 
other river.  We  could  see  our  next  camping-place, 
ten  miles  away.  There  the  river  forked,  and  far  up 
each  valley,  where  the  mountains  met  the  sky,  in  a 
range  much  above  us,  two  glaciers  gleamed  in  the 
morning  sun.  One  of  these,  the  Pinduree  Glacier, 
was  our  destination.  It  is  named  after  the  Pinduree 
Peak,  whose  snowy  crest,  clear-cut,  loomed  against 
the  sky.  We  sat  down  and  gazed  in  wonder;  but 
soon  a  heavy  mass  of  cumuli  rolled  between,  and 
nature's  matchless  canvas  was  veiled.  What  could 
we  do  but  push  on,  and  stand  where  no  cloud  could 
intervene ! 

It  was  a  long  descent  down  that  mountain  side; 
our  way  leading  us  through  forests  of  tall  oaks  and 
graceful  pines,  by  grassy  glens,  down,  down,  into 
the  valley  of  a  rapid  river,  roaring,  foaming,  rushing 
along,  like  all  these  mountain  streams.  We  passed 
shepherds  tending  their  flocks.  The  sheep  are  not 
fine  wooled,  but  their  fleeces  furnish  good  blankets 
for  these  sturdy  mountaineers.  They  all  seem  to 
know  how  to  spin,  using  a  very  simple  little  instru- 
ment, something  like  a  short  stick  with  a  knob  on 
one  end.  A  roll  of  wool  is  kept  round  the  left  arm, 
and  the  spinning  is  done  by  twirling  the  stick,  knob 
downward,  with  the  right  hand.  They  spin  walking, 
tending  their  flocks,  or  chatting  round  their  evening 
fires.  The  yarn  is  collected  on  the  stick,  and  from 
it  coarse  blankets  are  made,  which  are  the  chief 
covering  of  these  natives,  male  and  female.  The 
blanket    envelops    the    person    in   a   not    ungraceful 


324  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

manner,  and  is  fastened  with  large  pins,  so  as  to 
leave  the  limbs  perfectly  free.  On  the  women  it 
comes  down  to  the  feet,  but  the  men  wear  it 
tucked  up.  A  single  blanket  is  generally  the  only 
garment. 

In  this  valley,  we  found  small  fields  of  the  red- 
top  plant  often  called  ''cockscomb,"  growing  as  a 
cereal,  for  bread.  Other  grains  do  not  grow  at  this 
altitude.  We  found  hickory  and  buckeye  trees. 
Nearing  camp  at  the  village  of  Kartee,  we  passed  a 
small  water-mill  turning  out  coarse  flour.  In  all  the 
plains,  grinding  for  the  million  is  done  with  little 
hand-mills,  consisting  of  two  stones,  not  over  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  diameter  and  two  or  three  inches 
thick.  This  is  the  "mill"  of  the  Bible.  In  the 
mountains,  we  find  an  improvement  on  this,  the 
stones  being  somewhat  larger,  and  turned  by  water. 
A  rude  dam  is  thrown  across  the  stream,  and  a 
''race"  conveys  the  water  to  the  spot,  sufficiently 
high  for  the  ''fall,"  where  the  water,  running  down 
a  grooved  log,  strikes  a  horizontal  wheel  obliquely, 
so  as  to  put  it  in  motion,  which  is  communicated  to 
the  little  buhr-stones  above. 

Kartee  is  the  limit  of  habitation  up  the  river. 
In  the  Summer  months  the  natives  go  up  and  graze 
sheep  beyond  this,  but  hurry  down  when  the  snow 
begins  to  fall.  We  got  some  very  good  honey  here, 
produced  in  genuine  "bee-gums" — hollow  trees 
sawed  off,  just  as  I  have  seen  them  in  the  United 
States.  Evening  came,  clear  and  calm,  and  the 
voices  of  children  driving  home  their  flocks  of 
sheep,   goats,   and   cows,    resounded   merrily  enough 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  325 

along  the  mountain.  They  were  attended  by  dogs 
of  the  shepherd  type.  One  large  flock  of  sheep  and 
goats  was  led  by  a  very  small  child. 

Three  more  marches  would  take  us  to  the  snows. 
It  is  a  labor  much  greater  to  reach  the  top  of  the 
Himalayas  than  in  other  mountains.  Here  is  what 
may  be  called  a  continent  of  mountains.  You  must 
travel  for  days,  cross  large  streams,  and  climb  lofty 
mountain  ranges,  before  you  reach  the  highest  or 
snowy  range.  Himalaya  —  abode  of  snow  —  is  its 
true  name. 

At  early  morn,  we  were  on  the  qui  vive.  Open- 
ing day  gave  us  a  grand  view  of  the  mountain. 
Towering  above  us,  first  came  out  a  pinnacle  of  gold, 
then  a  colossal  spire;  then,  as  the  clouds  were  more 
completely  lifted  away,  the  vast  wedge  of  purest 
white,  seen  the  evening  before,  was  again  unveiled. 
Tinseled,  filmy  clouds  floated  lightly  about  the  high- 
est peaks.  Higher  still  mounted  the  king  of  day, 
while  stream  after  stream,  and  flash  after  flash,  came 
the  cheery  sunlight  over  the  nearer  peaks  and  down 
the  valleys. 

In  physique,  our  coolies  were  a  fine  set  of  fel- 
lows. Some  of  them  had  Chinese  faces;  and  we 
found,  on  inquiry,  that  they  were  from  families  that 
in  former  generations  came  over  the  mountains  from 
Thibet,  and  amalgamated  with  people  on  this  side 
of  the  mountains. 

On  we  trudged,  through  feathery  bamboos,  near 
the  stream  that  forever  roared  its  deep  diapason  in 
our  ears,  mingled  at  times  with  the  shrill  fife  tones 
of  some  feathered  whistler,  happy  in  the  overhanging 


"326  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

branches.  At  one  point,  we  got  word  of  three  bears 
that  had  been  seen  in  the  morning.  They  had  car- 
ried away  some  goats,  and  we  saw  freshly  turned-up 
earth,  where  bears  had  been  digging  for  roots.  Our 
guns  were  put  in  order — more,  it  is  frankly  confessed 
for  defensive  than  offensive  purposes;  for  we  had 
heard  too  much  of  offended  bears  wreaking  sum- 
mary vengeance  on  those  who  had  molested  them, 
to  think,  for  mere  sport,  of  trying  a  shot  on  cus- 
tomers of  such  even-handed  justice.  But  the  unan- 
imous conclusion  was,  that  if  a  bear  rash  enough 
should  invade  us,  then  we  would  fire,  by  all  means. 
These  bears,  as  a  rule,  are  harmless  enough  till  wounded, 
when  they  often  become  desperate  and  very  danger- 
ous. Cases,  too,  are  on  record  where  they  have  been 
the  aggressors.  An  officer  was  hunting,  and  came  sud- 
denly upon  a  large  bear  that  was  quietly  turning  up 
the  leaves,  hunting  for  roots  and  nuts.  Eying  the 
man  for  a  moment  with  evident  surprise  at  his  intru- 
sion, it  charged  at  him  up  the  slope.  A  hasty  shot 
merely  grazed  bruin's  head  and  sharply  scratched 
his  back,  at  which  he  roared  with  rage  and  rushed 
on,  hair  erect  and  open  mouth,  and  received  a  sec- 
ond ball  in  the  breast  just  in  time  to  roll  him  over 
dead,  and  prevent  the  dreaded  "hug."  We  saw  no 
bears,  perhaps  to  our  mutual  satisfaction  and  welfare. 
We  found  a  large  patch  of  delicious  raspberries. 
The  bushes  were  almost  without  thorns,  with  large 
leaves,  more  like  those  of  the  grape-vine  than  the 
leaves  of  the  American  raspberry.  The  fruit,  however, 
was  quite  the  same.  Farther  on,  a  magnificent  cas- 
cade came  bounding  down  the  mountain  side  in  a  triple 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  327 

stream,  and  chimed  its  ceaseless  roar  with  the 
deep-toned  music  of  the  river  near  by.  Beneath 
an  overhanging  ledge  of  rocks,  the  guide  pointed 
out  three  large  combs,  covered  with  bees.  He  said 
that  the  villagers  descend  by  a  rope  and  gather 
honey  here.  In  India,  bees  build  their  comb  in  the 
open  air,  and  thus  store  away  their  coveted  sweets. 

Pushing  on,  we  crossed  the  turbulent  river  by  a 
rude,  narrow  bridge,  that  swayed  like  a  pendulum 
as  we  crossed  the  rushing,  whirling  water.  Here  we 
sat  down  and  had  a  lunch.  I  was  interested  and 
amused  at  the  facility  with  which  the  coolies  pre- 
pared their  food.  A  man  gathered  up  a  few  pine 
drift-sticks  from  the  edge  of  the  stream,  and,  whip- 
ping out  his  steel  and  a  bit  of  quartz,  had  a  fire  in 
a  moment.  Another  ground  up  a  few  spices  with  a 
stone,  on  a  smooth  rock,  while  a  third  man  dashed 
a  few  handfuls  of  water  from  the  stream  on  a  flat 
stone,  washing  it  a  little,  and  proceeded  to  knead 
some  flour  for  cakes.  Before  we  were  half  through 
with  our  prepared  lunch  of  biscuits,  cheese,  sardines, 
etc.,  they  had  baked  and  eaten  their  bread,  and  were 
sunning  their  brawny  bodies  on  the  rocks.  These 
mountaineers  are  active,  shifting  fellows.  Each  man 
carries  a  piece  of  quartz  and  bit  of  steel,  with  which 
they  are  all  experts  in  quickly  striking  a  fire. 

Nearing  camp,  we  had  to  recross  the  river  by  a 
bridge  of  two  logs  that  had  been  reported  broken 
down.  It  was  still  standing,  but  hanging  with  a 
dangerous  slant.  I  looked  at  the  thundering,  surg- 
ing turmoil  of  water  that  rushed  beneath,  and  tried 
to  calculate  the  chances  of  swimming  ashore,  should 


328  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

the  bridge  break  down.  It  seemed  certain  death 
to  tumble  into  that  flood;  but  the  coohes,  heavily- 
laden,  had  gone  over,  so  we  ventured  safely.  It 
was  raining  when  we  reached  camp,  a  place  wild 
and  grand.  The  roaring  torrent;  the  lofty,  castel- 
lated rocks;  the  dizzy,  far-reaching  heights,  covered 
with  symmetrical  pines;  the  general  air  of  wild  and 
rugged  nature  that  surrounded  us,  formed  a  scene 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

Near  sunset,  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  mighty 
frame-work  of  the  mountain  broke  out  in  a  slow, 
curling  fog,  giving  the  whole  the  appearance  of  a 
vast,  smoldering  conflagration,  as  the  fog  rose,  here 
and  there,  from  the  rocky  clefts  and  gorges,  far  up 
the  cliffs  and  wooded  monntain  sides.  It  was  an 
awe-inspiring  sight,  as  the  flames  seemed  just  ready- 
to  break  forth  from  tremendous  internal  fires.  The 
fog  cleared  away,  and  the  beams  of  the  setting  sun 
streamed  through  the  peaks  and  gleamed  along  the 
rocky  crags  in  gorgeous  tinselings.  Far  up  among 
the  rocks,  a  sure-footed  thar  (a  kind  of  wild  goat) 
was  seen,  quietly  cropping  the  soft  tufts  of  grass. 
With  a  roaring  fire  of  pine  sticks  before  the  tent 
door,  we  "turned  in"  for  the  night,  and  slept  sweetly 
beneath  that  dripping  canvas. 

The  dull  .  patter  of  the  rain  on  the  canvas  and 
the  rocks,  with  the  ceaseless  roar  of  the  stream  be- 
low our  tent,  was  the  first  sound  that  greeted  us  in 
the  morning.  The  guide  brought  us  a  quantity  of 
hazel-nuts  in  the  husk.  Having  breakfasted,  we 
were  off  in  the  rain,  so  desirous  were  we  to  reach 
the  abode  of  eternal  snow.     Tramp,   tramp,   tramp 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  329 

we  went  along  the  narrow  defiles  by  the  side  of  the 
resounding  stream,  with  our  alpenstocks  clicking  on 
the  rocks,  and  a  long  line  of  coolies  before  us,  un- 
dulating along  the  winding  path  like  an  immense 
serpent.  The  softly  falling  rain  ceased,  and  columns 
of  fog  rolled  up  the  gorges  and  hung  gloomily  about 
the  frowning  crags  and  overhanging  cliffs. 

Chilly  breezes  began  now  to  blow  upon  us  from 
above,  and  we  knew  that  the  snows  were  at  hand. 
We  passed  an  immense  drift,  lying  over  the  stream, 
which  had  cut  its  way  below,  and  emerged  from  be- 
neath an  arch  so  regular  in  its  curve  that  it  seemed 
a  work  of  art.  A  cloud  caught  us  here  in  its  chilly 
folds,  and  again  drizzling  rain  began  to  fall.  We 
donned  our  water-proofs,  and  pulled  them  tightly 
about  us;  for  we  were  not  simply  rained  upon,  but 
seemed  to  be  immersed  in  the  rain  and  the  cloud. 

This  being  our  last  march,  it  was  important  that 
we  get  well  within  reach  of  the  glacier,  which  must 
be  visited  from  our  last  camping-place.  We  halted 
within  three  miles  of  the  glacier,  this  being  the  near- 
est point  where  Avood  can  be  obtained.  It  is  most 
important  to  have  fire  in  these  damp,  icy  regions. 
Our  little  tent  was  pitched  in  the  rain,  clothing  was 
changed,  a  good  fire  set  ablaze  in  front  of  the  tent, 
and  we  were  soon  snug  and  comfortable,  patiently 
waiting  for  our  dinner,  preparations  for  which  were 
going  hopefully  forward.  When  we  halted,  we  were 
without  kitchen  or  fire-place,  and  no  wood  but  the 
wet,  ungathered  branches  of  pine-trees,  and  our  fire 
the  spark  waiting  to  be  struck  from  the  flint;  and 
yet,  in  an  hour,  we  sat  down  to  a  capital  dinner. 

28 


330  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

Meanwhile,  I  had  lain  down  on  my  cot  to  enjoy 
the  fire  at  the  tent  door  and  indulge  a  nap.  The 
rain  ceased  its  dull  patter  on  the  well-soaked  canvas; 
and,  from  the  half-conscious  margin  of  sleep  just 
stealing  over  me,  I  was  suddenly  called  back  by 
Knowles  exclaiming,  in  tones  of  intense  admiration: 
''O,  come  and  see!  Come  quick — quick P'  Out  I 
hurried,  followed  by  Dr.  Harris ;  and  there  Knowles, 
with  uplifted  hands  and  dilated  eyes,  Avas  peering 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  snows.  The  clouds 
and  fog,  which  had,  during  the  day,  almost  to  that 
moment,  shut  out  all  before  us,  were  suddenly,  like 
a  vast  curtain,  lifted  away;  and  what  a  scene!  The 
intrinsic  poverty  of  language  is  felt  at  such  a  time. 
The  grand  perception  fills  and  thrills  one,  but  finds 
no  adequate  description.  There  are  sublime  scenes 
before  which  silence  seems  most  befitting. 

What  a  panorama  of  snow-mantled  mountains 
had  been  in  a  moment  unveiled  before  us!  Peaks 
shot  up  against  the  sky,  white  as  alabaster.  Im- 
mense drifts,  hundreds  of  feet  high,  were  piled 
along  cliffs,  upon  the  black,  scarped  sides  of  Avhich 
the  snow  could  not  lie;  while,  down  the  yawning 
gorges,  long  trails  of  pure  snow  and  ice  had  de- 
scended far  below  the  general  snow-line.  In  some 
places,  long,  wide  slopes  of  dazzling  snow  were  curi- 
ously marked  with  lengthened  strice,  where  bits  of 
ice  or  stones  had  been  sliding  down.  There  was 
Devi  Kote  (house  of  the  goddess),  the  loftiest  peak 
of  them  all,  thrust  like  a  vast  marble  tower  against 
the  sky.  Around  and  on  it  were  regions  where 
no    mortal    can    penetrate.      What   wonder   that    the 


AFTER  HEALTH  IK  THE  HIMALAYAS.  33 1 

imagination  of  the  natives  makes  it  the  home  of  a 
goddess,  and  peoples  it  with  divinities?  The  terres- 
trial seemed  here  blended  with  the  celestial  world. 
Earth,  in  vast  snowy  stalagmites,  was  piled  into 
heaven.  Although  more  than  five  miles  away,  so 
pure  is  the  atmosphere  in  those  elevated  regions, 
this  sublime  scene  did  not  seem  more  than  a  few 
hundred  feet  distant.  We  gazed  till  gathering  fog, 
and  then  night,  drew  a  veil  over  all. 

The  next  morning,  we  were  early  on  the  qtd  vive, 
pushing  forward  to  see  the  glacier  and  stand  amid 
"eternal  snows."  It  was  still  foggy,  and  the  stunted 
shrubbery  and  long  silky  grass  and  matted  straw- 
berry-vines were  dripping  wet.  Tramp,  tramp — 
click,  click — as  we  thread  the  stony  foot-path,  with 
our  alpenstocks  clicking  and  picking  against  the 
rocks.  Now  we  pass  an  immense  snow-drift,  thrown 
like  a  great  arched  marble  causeway  over  the  rush- 
ing water.  Just  beyond  is  a  wide,  dark  fissure  in 
the  lofty  wall  of  rock,  like  a  great  door,  leading, 
the  guide  can  not  tell  where.  But  Nunda  Devi,  the 
goddess,  used  to  live  there;  for  he  and  companions 
had  ventured  as  far  as  the  door,  and,  by  a  sacri- 
legious peep  into  the  rocky  antechamber,  they  had 
seen  sundry  vessels  and  packages  lying  about.  Since 
then  these  were  removed  and  piled  up  "just  there;" 
and  we'  were  shown,  in  a  niche  high  up  on  the  vast 
facade  of  rock,  some  stones,  looking  as  if  stowed 
away  there  by  the  annoyed  divinity,  quite  out  of  the 
reach  of  mortals. 

By  and  by  the  rising  sun  began  to  roll  the  fog 
away  and  gild  the  clear-cut  peaks  with  gold.      One 


^^2  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

after  another  they  emerged  from  that  sea  of  mist, 
till  the  sublime  array  stood  before  us.  Higher  rose 
the  sun,  pouring  floods  of  light  down  the  gorges 
choked  Avith  descending  snow  and  ice.  Now  we 
reach  the  ** terminal  moraine,"  from  which  the  gla- 
cier at  this  season  had  retreated,  leaving  a  mass  of 
pebbles,  bowlders,  and  striated  rocks.  But  what  a 
disappointment  overtook  us!  A  great  cloud  came 
rolling  up  the  valley  behind  us,  solemn  and  slow, 
nearer  and  nearer,  till  it  wrapped  us  and  the  glacier 
and  all  that  mountain  scene  in  its  damp,  misty 
vesture,  and  shut  out  the  cheer  of  that  friendly  sun. 
We  could  see,  with  some  distinctness,  about  fifty 
yards.  Our  guide  tried  to  comfort  us  by  saying, 
**It  often  happens  thus  here."  We  determined  to 
explore  the  glacier  nevertheless,  and  ascended  the 
right  lateral  moraine,  which  was  upward  of  a  hun- 
dred feet  high,  resembling  an  immense  military 
earth-work  built  of  gravel  and  great  bowlders.  Some 
of  these,  weighing  a  score  of  tons,  were  lying  on 
the  crest,  just  ready  to  topple  over;  and  we  had  a 
merry  time  helping  some  to  a  descent,  and  cheering 
as  they  rolled  and  dashed  away  with  terrific  bounds 
to  the  ice-covered  valley  below. 

Moving  cautiously  forward  on  the  glacier,  we 
passed  medial  moraines,  apparently  forced  up  from 
below  by  the  grinding  together  of  the  edges  of  two" 
immense  ice-fields.  The  stones  were  crushed  and 
pulverized  by  the  incalculable  pressure  to  which 
they  were  subjected  in  the  downward  progress  of 
this  sea  of  ice.  As  we  advanced,  the  accumulation 
of  stones  on  the  surface  of  the  ice  became  less,  and 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  333 

it  presented  a  variety  of  colors,  green,  blue,  and.  in 
some  places,  almost  black.  We  crossed  considerable 
streams  that  had  cut  channels  in  the  ice.  As  we 
leaped  over  one  of  these,  Knowles  slipped,  and 
barely  escaped  a  fall  into  the  icy  depth.  His  alpen- 
stock went  to  the  bottom. 

The  fog  still  enveloped  us;  but  occasional  rifts 
revealed  the  mighty  frame-work  of  the  mountains 
piled  on  our  right  and  left.  Sharp,  crashing  sounds 
and  heavy  intonations  at  times  reverberated  around 
us,  caused  by  avalanches,  or  the  cracking  of  the  ice- 
fields. We  reached  a  large  plain  of  ice,  free  from 
pebbles  and  stones,  over  which  clear  brooks  rippled 
along  their  crystal  beds,  and  in  places  flashed  and 
gurgled  down  into  frightful  fissures.  The-  natives 
have  a  superstition  that  to  drink  this  water  produces 
madness.  These  brooks  are  formed  by  the  melting 
of  snow  and  ice  at  this  season.  Collected,  they 
form  in  places  considerable  streams,  that  rush  furi- 
ously along  their  glassy  floors  at  the  bottom  of  deep 
crevasses. 

The  thawing^  had  produced  most  charming  ef- 
fects. Large  bowlders  were  supported  on  curiously 
carved  pedestals  of  ice.  Fairy  niches  and  moldings 
adorned  the  sides  of  curious  fissures.  Basins  of  the 
clearest  water,  scooped  in  the  icy  surface,  lay  around 
us.  One  -immense  pool  of  pure  water  sounded  fear- 
fully deep  when  a  stone  was  hurled  into  it. 

Dimly,  through  the  cloud  that  rested  on  the 
glacier,  waves  and  billows  of  ice  were  seen  rising  in 
front  of  us.  The  guide  said  we  had  gone  farther 
then  than  others  ever  went;  and,  a  drizzling  shower 


334  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

setting  in,  we  began  to  return.  Leaving  the  gla- 
cier, we  lengthened  our  eager  steps  toward  the 
place  where  breakfast  was  to  be  prepared.  It  was 
an  unfavorable  day  for  visiting  the  glacier.  We 
determined,  if  a  clear  day  dawned,  to  go  back,  in 
hope  of  a  better  and  more  extended  view. 

Morning  came,  but  not  clear.  Nevertheless,  so 
desirous  were  we  to  see  more  of  the  glacier,  that 
thither  again  we  climbed,  hoping  for  a  better  day. 
Nor  was  it  hope  in  vain.  The  welcome  beams  of 
the  rising  sun  began  to  illume  that  vast  sea  of  fog, 
and  it  surged  and  rolled  up  from  the  deep  valleys 
and  gorges,  clung  and  lingered  for  a  time  around 
the  crags  and  peaks,  and  vanished  into  air.  Then 
what  a  scene  was  around  and  before  us !  One 
view  like  that  amply  repaid  any  journey.  We  had 
entered  the  valley  where  we  had  breakfasted  the 
day  before.  Then  our  fog-dimmed  vision  revealed 
nothing  of  its  magnificence,  nor  of  the  vast  amphi- 
theater of  snow-clad  mountains  towering  away  to 
the  sky. 

Where  we  walked  was  a  thick  sward  of  grass 
and  strawberry-vines,  sprinkled  with  bright  yellow 
blossoms,  and  the  purple  flowers  of  wild  geraniums. 
Farther  up  the  snowy  slopes  began,  leading  to 
heights  where  awful  drifts  were  piled  and  wreathed, 
till  Devi  Kote,  the  house  of  the  goddess,  and  her 
sisterhood  of  peaks,  glittering  in  the  morning  sun, 
crowned  the  whole.  In  some  places  the  bases  of 
these  peaks  were  skirted  with  vast  piles  of  snow 
dibris.  The  vastness  of  every  thing  produced  over- 
powering  emotions,   as  we  leaned  on   our  climbing- 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  335 

poles  and  surveyed  our  surroundings.  Save  the 
ceaseless  plash  of  cascades,  and  the  murmur  of 
large  streams  that  emerged  from  the  glacier,  no 
sound  was  heard.      The  solitude  was  o-rand. 

Near  by,  a  rude  altar  of  unhewn  stones  marked 
the  place  where  offerings  are  made  to  the  goddess 
of  these  wonderful  mountains.  The  guide  told  us 
that  goats  are  sacrificed  here. 

Moving  forward,  I  was  struck  with  the  position 
of  the  strata,  which  overlapped  one  another  like 
huge  tiles  or  shingles,  till  the  top  one  disappeared 
over  the  mountain  range. 

The  glacier  now  came  in  full  view,  from  the 
terminal  moraine,  where  it  has  registered  in  a  great 
line  of  bowlders  its  farthest  advance  down  the  valley, 
up  over  the  hillocks  of  ice  and  crystal  plain  beyond, 
and  away  still  in  what  seemed  to  be  frozen  billows, 
farther  and  higher,  up  to  the  blended  peaks  and  sky. 
The  whole  was  like  a  mighty  river,  which,  plunging 
down  its  mountain  bed,  had  been  suddenly  frozen 
up,  fixing  every  ripple  and  crested  wave  fast  in  the 
icy  embrace. 

Long  years  can  not  efface  the  impression  of  such 
a  sight.  The  entire  length  of  the  glacier,  over  the 
terminal  hillocks  of  ice  and  the  glassy  plain  beyond, 
and  up  over  the  great  frozen  billows  that  lay  piled 
away  up  to  the  sky,  was  at  least  nine  miles. 

Moving  up  a  moraine,  we  had  a  grand  view  of 
the  glacier  nearer  its  source.  What  appeared  from 
below  to  be  frozen  waves  and  billows  were  crags 
and  ledges  formed  by  the  cracking  and  thawing  of 
the  glacier.     Finding  myself  some  distance  in  advance, 


336  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

I  sat  down  on  a  bowlder,  and  swept,  with  wondering 
eyCj  the  subhme  scene  around,  above,  below.  Far 
down  the  valley,  the  head  of  a  white  column  of 
cloud  appeared,  moving  rapidly  round  a  steep  flank 
of  the  mountain.  On  it  comes  up  the  great,  gorge- 
like valley,  surging  upward  and  expanding  outward 
till  it  shuts  out  all  below,  veils  in  its  vast  folds  the 
rocks  and  snow-clad  mountain  sides,  and,  rapidly 
mounting  higher  still,  hides  all  the  lofty  peaks  and 
blots  out  the  sun!  Did  mortal  ever  before  behold 
such  a  scene?  It  was  not  dark,  but  we  were  sub- 
merged in  a  kind  of  somber,  semi-luminous  mist. 
Thirty  or  forty  paces  was  the  limit  of  vision;  yet, 
immediately  at  hand,  it  was  somewhat  clear. 

A  drizzling  rain  began  to  fall,  or  rather  to  circu- 
late ;  for  an  umbrella  was  but  little  protection  against 
it.  Clothing,  hair,  and  beard  were  soon  saturated 
with  this  floating  rain.  No  wonder  a  feeling  of  awe 
was  inspired,  away  there  in  the  clouds,  amid  such 
surroundings.  Beyond  a  few  yards,  sight  was  of  no 
avail,  while  dismal  and  abysmal  sounds,  caused  by 
the  bursting  of  the  ice,  the  plunge  anon  of  ava- 
lanches, in  the  absence  of  vision,  combined  to 
produce  a  portentous  and  awe-inspiring  effect.  Stu- 
pendous, unseen  powers  seemed  to  be  rallying  and 
hurtling  in  the  gloom-dimmed  air.  The  confused 
murmur  of  waters,  distant  far  below,  gave  a  sensa- 
tion of  being  suspended  over  an  abysmal  vortex  of 
terrific  depth,  w^hile  the  blue  sky  or  clouds  above, 
that  form  a  grateful  resting-place  for  the  eye  in 
looking  upward,  was  displaced  by  a  somber,  hazy 
expanse,   stretching  away  into  infinity.     The  feeling 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  337 

was  of  isolation  in  a  trackless,  infinite  expanse.  I 
thought  of  Paul's  personifications  of  height  and 
depth  as  terrors  that,  however  appalling,  can  not 
separate  or  frighten  the  soul  away  from  the  love  of 
Jesus;  and  I  breathed  a  prayer  that  the  day  may 
speedily  come  when  such  a  love  will  bind  the  mill- 
ions of  India  to  him. 

Dr.  Harris  came  up;  and,  while  we  were  lament- 
ing the  turn  in  the  day,  which  had  cut  off  our 
opportunity  of  seeing  more  of  the  glacier  and  its 
surroundings,  suddenly  the  rain  ceased,  the  shadowy 
mist  grew  more  luminous,  gradually  the  sun  came 
out  nearly  overhead,  the  fog  faded  away,  and  all 
that  stupendous  scene  was  again  before  us!  We 
surveyed  it  long,  and  with  fascinated  gaze. 

It  was  now  past  midday.  We  had  seen  enough. 
Partaking  of  a  hasty  lunch,  we  began  to  return, 
pushing  on  rapidly,  in  view  of  the  walk  we  had 
before  us.  We  passed,  near  the  edge  of  the  glacier, 
an  immense,  yawning  sub-ice  passage,  into  which  a 
stone  was  rolled,  with  an  echoing  and  resounding 
noise,  indicating  great  depth.  Near  the  terminal 
moraine,  we  found  a  little  black  flower,  the  first 
specimen  of  this  color  I  had  ever  seen.  The  Doc- 
tor's botanical  proclivities  impeded  us  considerably; 
and  what  with  stopping  to  gaze,  fascinated  anew  by 
the  gorgeous  display  of  some  splendid  cascade;  and 
halting,  spell-bound  by  the  wild  charm  of  some 
mountain  rapidSj  we  got  on  slowly  enough  in  the 
end.  We  reached  the  camp  in  the  evening,  very 
weary  from  walking  and  climbing.  We  spent  a 
cheery  evening   in  our  little  tentj   before  a  glowing 

29 


338  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

fire  of  pine  sticks.  Wrapping  ourselves  up  in  our 
blankets,  and  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  ceaseless  intona- 
tion of  rushing  and  falling  water,  we  slept  soundly 
and  sweetly. 

And  now,  indulgent  reader,  it  is  not  in  our  pro- 
gramme, interesting  as  it  might  be,  to  take  you 
with  us  in  the  details  of  our  return  trip.  You  may 
be  glad  to  know,  however,  that  we  got  safely  out 
of  the  mountains.  It  was  down,  down,  down,  until 
our  knees  ached  with  the  journey.  The  weather 
was  delightful  when  we  got  below  the  region  of  the 
clouds.  As  we  passed  to  the  lower  and  outer  Him- 
alayas, I  was  struck  with  the  fact  that  mountain 
scenery,  which,  on  our  ascent,  had  looked  rugged 
and  sublime,  now  seemed  petty  and  tame  by  con- 
trast. Late  one  evening,  we  passed  through  some 
pine-clad  hills,  with  waterless  ravines,  and  apparently 
not  a  bird  among  all  those  grand  old  trees.  Noise- 
less and  calm,  I  thought  what  a  world  this  would  be 
without  a  chirping  bird  or  babbling  brook.  From 
Almorah,  the  old  Ghurka  capital,  we  passed  to  Ny- 
nee  Tal,  reaching  the  mission-house,  by  a  different 
route,  late  in  the  evening.  I  felt  that  the  cool 
mountain  air,  and  that  wholesome,  vigorous  exer- 
cise, had  put  new  life  and  tone  into  every  limb  and 
muscle. 

It  remains  to  add  that  the  glacier,  and  all  that 
sublime  mountain  scenery,  did  not  impress  me  as 
much  with  a  sense  of  the  presence  and  power  of 
God  as  does  the  ordinary  and  more  quiet  state  of 
nature  in  a  level  country.  The  vastness  of  mount- 
ains,   and    the    manifest    power    of   the   tremendous 


AFTER  HEALTH  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS.  339 

forces  so  openly  at  work  in  the  glacier,  the  ava- 
lanche, the  rushing  mountain  torrent,  impress  some 
persons  with  the  existence  of  an  Almighty  Being; 
but  the  unseen  power  that  silently  carpets  the  ver- 
dant slopes  and  plains,  clothes  the  fruitful  fields  with 
the  waving,  golden  crop,  well  adapted  food  for  man 
and  beast,  develops  noiselessly  the  luscious  fruit  of 
vine  and  shrub  and  tree,  and  molds  and  paints,  with 
manifest  and  curious  design,  a  thousand  blooming 
flowers — all  this  ever  impresses  me  more  with  the 
existence  and  presence  of  the  omnipotent,  all-wise 
Author  of  nature. 


APPENDIX 


GENERAL  STATISTICS  OF  PROTESTANT  MISSION-WORK 
IN  INDIA. 

Note. — Every  decade,  statistics  of  all  missions  in  India,  Cey- 
lon, and  Burmah  are  collected.  The  last  were  to  the  end  of  187 1. 
Some  of  these  items  are  close  approximations  to  present  facts.  The 
missionary  agency  of  India  can  here  be  seen  at  a  glance: 


Population  of  India,  according  to  last 
Languages  spoken, 
Missionary  Societies  at  work,  . 
Missionaries  employed, 
Native  Ordained  Preachers, 
Native  Lay  Preachers, 
Native  Pupils  in  School,  . 
Of  these,  Girls  and  Young  Women, 
Female  Missionary  Societies  at  work, 
Mission  Presses,   .... 
Bible  Societies,  .... 

Tract  Societies,    .... 
Native  Christian  Communicants, 
Native  Christian  Population, 
Increase  in  ten  years, 


300,000,000 
23 

35 
600 

.         .       381 

2,528 

143,192 

26,611 

4 

25 

8 

II 

85,000 

.    330,000 

61  per  cent. 


At  this  rate,  the  Protestant  native  Christian  population  of  India 
in  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  will  be  138,000,000! 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  MISSION, 

END  OF  1874. 

Native  Christian  Full  Members,       .... 
Probationers,         ....... 


Total. 


1,145 
1,932 


341 


342  APPENDIX. 

Local  Preachers,  ......  37 

Number  of  Sunday-schools,      .         .         .         .         .126 

Sunday-school  Scholars, 5>438 

Day-schools, 204 

Scholars, 7j577 

BOMBAY  AND  BENGAL  MISSION. 

UNDER  REV.  WILLIAM  TAYLOR. 

Full  Members  (chiefly  Europeans),         .         .         .  718 

Probationers  **  '*  .         .         .         .524 

•  Total, 1,242 


GLOSSARY  OF  SOME  INDIAN  WORDS. 

It  has  not  been  deemed  best  to  encumber  this  book  with  any 
rigid  system  of  spelling  and  pointing  the  vernacular  words  used. 
Typographical  perplexity  would  have  been  entailed,  and  but  little 
practical  advantage  secured  to  the  reader.  The  common  orthogra- 
phy of  these  words  has  been  used.  For  reference  in  recalling  their 
meaning,  generally  given  where  the  word  first  was  used,  and  for 
accurate  pronunciation,  this  glossary  is  inserted.  Mark  that  in  pro- 
nunciation a  is  long,  as  in  far;  o  is  long;  u  is  short,  as  in  cut;  u  is 
long,  as  in  tune. 

Bazaar,  or  Bazar.     A  market-place  or  trading-street. 
Bungalow  (Bungla).     A  thatched  or  tiled  house. 
Buny5.     A  grain  merchant  or  grocer. 
Brahmin.     A  Hindu  of  the  highest  caste ;  priest. 
Chapatee  (Chupatee).     A  thin  cake  of  unbolted  flour. 
Chaupal.     A  common  sitting  or  lodging-place  in  a  village. 
Coolie,  or  Cooly.     A  burden-carrier ;  common  laborer. 
Dooly  (Dulee).     A  conveyance  for  traveling,  carried  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  coolies,  like  the  palanquin. 
Fakeer  (Fukeer).     A  beggar,  or, religious  mendicant. 
Gali  (Galea).    Vile,  obscene  abuse. 
Hukka,  or  Hookka  (00  as  in  foot).     A  native  pipe. 
Jungle  (Jungul).     A  forest,  wilderness,  desert. 
Koran.     The  pretended  revelation  of  Mohammed. 
Lota.     A  small  vessel  for  fluids ;  drinking-vessel. 
Maulvy  (Maulvee).     A  Mohammedan  teacher. 


APPENDIX.  343 

Moslem.     A  Mohammedan,  meaning  faithful. 

Musalman.     A  Mohammedan. 

Padre.     A  common  word  in  India  for  clergyman.     It  is  of  Portu« 

guese  origin. 
Palanquin.     A  covered  conveyance,  carried  by  coolies. 
Pice.     A  copper  coin,  value  something  less  than  a  cent. 
Pundit.     A  Hindu  teacher. 

Rupee.     A  silver  coin,  value  nearly  a  half-dollar. 
Sahib.     Sir,  gentleman,  lord. 
Salam.     Peace,  a  word  of  salutation  or  adieu. 
Sepoy.     A  native  soldier. 

Shaster.     A  sacred  philosophical  book  of  the  Hindus. 
Tahsildar.     Native  collector  of  revenues. 
Zemindar  (Zemeend^r).     A  farmer  land-holder. 


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»«»IINTEOINU   S.A. 

